"US To Run Venezuela For Now": Trump's Announcement After Maduro's Capture

US President Donald Trump made a stunning claim that the US "will run" Venezuela until a "proper and judicious" transition was in effect. The announcement came at a press conference from Trump's Florida mansion, hours after US special forces launched an unprecedented attack on the oil-rich South American nation, and captured its President Nicolas Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores. 

"We're going to run the country until such time as we can do a safe, proper and judicious transition," Trump said. "We don't want to be involved with having someone else get in, and we have the same situation that we had for the last long period of years. So we are going to run the country."

READ | Why US Attacked Venezuela, Captured President Nicolas Maduro

He offered no timeline, no detailed legal framework, and no explanation of how such an unprecedented arrangement would be governed under either US or international law.

The statement came just hours after US special forces carried out a tightly choreographed strike inside Venezuela, capturing Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, and removing them from the country aboard a US naval vessel. 

"We're going to be running it with a group. We're designating people," he said. 

The US President categorically said that regime change and the South American nation's oil resources are key goals. 

"We're going to have our very large United States oil companies, the biggest anywhere in the world, go in, spend billions of dollars, fix the badly broken infrastructure," he said. "We'll be selling large amounts of oil." 

The US is "not afraid of boots on the ground," Trump said.

The Capture Operation

According to accounts from both Washington and Caracas, the operation unfolded shortly before dawn on Saturday. Explosions were reported in the Venezuelan capital as low-flying aircraft crossed the city. Residents described a brief but intense period of blasts -- at least seven in total -- followed by smoke rising from military installations.

READ | Trump Releases 1st Picture Of Nicolas Maduro On Board US Warship

Video footage verified by international media showed tracer fire and explosions lighting up hillsides near Caracas, while separate images showed smoke billowing from a hangar at a military base inside the city. One major installation was reported to have lost power in the immediate aftermath.

Venezuelan officials said Maduro and Flores were seized from their residence within the Fort Tiuna military complex, one of the most secure installations in the country. Nahum Fernandez, a senior figure in the ruling party, described the incident as a "kidnapping" carried out after air strikes hit the area around their home.

Within hours, Trump posted a photograph on his Truth Social platform showing Maduro aboard a US warship, blindfolded and handcuffed, wearing what appeared to be noise-cancelling ear protection and grey sportswear. The former Venezuelan leader was later identified by Trump as being held aboard the USS Iwo Jima, en route to New York.

US officials said Maduro and his wife would face fresh criminal charges in the United States, following a new indictment unsealed by the Department of Justice accusing the couple of involvement in a "narco-terrorism conspiracy."

Trump's Claims

At his Florida press conference, Trump declared that the United States already had a presence on the ground capable of administering Venezuela and suggested that American companies would take the lead in rebuilding the country's oil infrastructure.

READ | Maduro To Face Drug And Terror Charges, Announces US Hours After His Capture

"We're going to fix the infrastructure, and start making money for the country," he said, presenting the arrangement as a "partnership" that would make Venezuelans "rich, independent and safe."

While Trump framed the plan as temporary, he also made clear that the United States alone would decide when Venezuelan control would be restored. There was no reference to elections, international supervision, or a transitional authority led by Venezuelans themselves.

He also confirmed that US forces had prepared for a second wave of military action but decided it was unnecessary because of the success of the initial strike. "We were prepared to do a second wave," he said, adding that further action remained an option if required.

Historical Echoes

The Trump government has not publicly detailed the legal basis for either the military strike or the proposed interim governance of Venezuela. The United States does not recognise Maduro as Venezuela's legitimate president, arguing that his re-election lacked credibility. However, even non-recognition does not automatically confer the authority to invade or administer another country.

The episode immediately drew comparisons with the 1990 US invasion of Panama, which resulted in the capture of leader Manuel Antonio Noriega and his transfer to the United States to face drug trafficking charges. That operation, though controversial, stopped short of Washington declaring it would "run" Panama.

The Road To Escalation

Saturday's strike followed months of escalating pressure by the Trump administration. US naval and air assets had been built up in waters off South America, while American forces carried out repeated attacks on boats accused of carrying drugs in the Caribbean and eastern Pacific.

The US administration has said it is engaged in an "armed conflict" with drug cartels and claims Venezuela is central to trafficking routes into the United States. Since September, US forces have reportedly struck at least 35 vessels, with the administration saying at least 115 people were killed in those operations.

Last week, the CIA was linked to a drone strike on a Venezuelan docking area believed to be used by drug cartels-the first acknowledged US operation on Venezuelan soil during this campaign. Mr Maduro had repeatedly described these actions as a cover for an attempt to remove him from power.