Watch Live: President Trump Addresses Nation After US Forces Strike Venezuela, Capture Maduro
President Trump will address the nation at 1100ET to discuss the capture of Venezuela's Nicolas Maduro:
The Venezuelan capital of Caracas was hit with overnight shock and awe after military operations resulted in extensive infrastructure damage and power outages. The scope of the operation is not yet clear, but a US official told Reuters Saturday morning on condition of anonymity that the strikes were indeed being carried out by the US military. Initial reports suggested not only US airstrikes but also Special Operations troops on the ground in Caracas.
.@POTUS on the capture of Venezuelan dictator Nicolás Maduro: "The team did an incredible job… There's no other country on Earth that can do such a maneuver." pic.twitter.com/sbfEyVDgUf
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) January 3, 2026
The explosions across the capital city came after President Donald Trump deployed a navy task force to the Caribbean and raised the possibility of ground strikes against Venezuela over the past week. It would appear that these threats were not idle.
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TRUMP: MADURO TRIED TO NEGOTIATE AT THE END, I SAID NO
VENEZUELA VICE PRESIDENT DELCY RODRIGUEZ IS IN RUSSIA: REUTERS
TRUMP SAYS MADURO NOW ON A US SHIP AND BEING TAKEN TO NEW YORK
As Jonathan Turley reports, this operation will be justified as executing the criminal warrant and responding to an international drug cartel, a very similar legal framework to the one used against Noriega in 1989. There is precedent supporting that earlier operation, which will now be used to defend the actions in Venezuela.
Full-scale military operations appear to be underway against Venezuela, with dozens of helicopters with the U.S. Army spotted over the capital of Caracas. pic.twitter.com/kIqfbGjOK4
— OSINTdefender (@sentdefender) January 3, 2026
Venezuela's "hour of freedom" has arrived, wrote Venezuelan dissident Maria Corina Machado in a post on X, with opposition leader Edmundo Gonzalez saying "we are ready for the reconstruction of our nation."
María Corina Machado's statement calls for enforcing a democratic transition in Venezuela.
Venezuelans,
The HOUR OF LIBERTY has arrived!
As of today, Nicolás Maduro faces international justice for the atrocious crimes committed against Venezuelans and against citizens of many other nations. In the face of his refusal to accept a negotiated solution, the government of the United States has fulfilled its promise to uphold the law.
The time has come for Popular Sovereignty and National Sovereignty to prevail in our country. We will restore order, free the political prisoners, build an exceptional nation, and bring our children back home.
We have fought for years, we have given everything, and it has been worth it. What had to happen is now happening.
This is the hour of the citizens. Those of us who risked everything for democracy on July 28. Those who elected Edmundo González Urrutia as the legitimate President of Venezuela, who must immediately assume his constitutional mandate and be recognized as Commander-in-Chief of the National Armed Forces by all the officers and troops who serve in it.
Today we are ready to enforce our mandate and take power. Let us remain vigilant, active, and organized until the Democratic Transition is achieved. A transition that needs EVERY ONE of us.
To Venezuelans inside the country: be prepared to act on what we will very soon communicate through our official channels.
To Venezuelans abroad: we need you mobilized, engaging governments and citizens around the world, and committing them now to the great task of rebuilding the new Venezuela.
In these decisive hours, receive all my strength, my trust, and my affection. We remain alert and in contact.
VENEZUELA WILL BE FREE!
We go forward hand in hand with God, until the end.
[Signature]
María Corina Machado
Maduro has already been indicted in federal court in New York, per a statement from AG Pam Bondi.
Trump took to his Truth Social account to announce that Venezuelan socialist leader Nicolas Maduro and his wife had been captured and were en route by air out of the country.
Additionally, President Trump has posted an image of Maduro on board the Iwo Jima, from which he will reportedly be transferred to an FBI plane at Guantanamo Bay heading to New York…
In late 2025, Trump reportedly gave Maduro an ultimatum via phone: resign immediately, and Trump would offer safe passage for Maduro, his wife, and son, but Maduro refused, demanding amnesty and control over the military, which the U.S. rejected.
Frightening footage from Caracas.
Imagine you are having some drinks with your friends on a Friday night at a bar and then this happens pic.twitter.com/VMg28c22pd
— Ragıp Soylu (@ragipsoylu) January 3, 2026
Suspicions of a larger US action have been escalating for weeks as the Trump Admin pursued targeted strikes against alleged drug smuggling ships running like the Pony Express from Venezuela to waiting couriers in the Caribbean.
🚨 Excellent footage showing how coordinated and precise U.S. strikes were inside Venezuela
The woman in the background proclaims "My God" as she watchespic.twitter.com/4VQ4AqOrk2
— Ian Miles Cheong (@ianmiles) January 3, 2026
This was part of a broader campaign by Trump to oust Maduro, who is accused of corruption, drug trafficking, and helping to engineer the US migrant crisis, which resulted in numerous incidents of Venezuelan cartel militants (Tren de Aragua) engaging in kidnapping, torture, and murder on US soil. Maduro continued to deny any government involvement in the spread of these cartels and rejected evidence that his government benefits from billions of dollars in drug money transferred by cartels from the US into the Venezuelan economy.
Critics assert that the operation goes against Trump's campaign promise to end the "forever war" policies of establishment elites (libertarians will probably be furious). However, from Trump's perspective, eliminating a hostile communist regime that is a key ally of China and Russia in the western hemisphere fits directly into the administration's "America First" policy.
🚨WOW: Venezuelan citizen records explosions in Caracas Venezuela just meters away from him as he drives his car. pic.twitter.com/kJFEvZl7Je
— Andrew (@AllegedlyDrew) January 3, 2026
If the accusations against Maduro are true, then his government would represent a long-term threat to the stability of the US. And, it would appear that a "forever war" is not in the cards with Maduro in custody.
Furthermore, Venezuela is not the only country south of the border that protects the activities of drug cartels. It's not the only country that helps migrants flood into the US.
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum has made multiple threats against the US in response to the strict border security and deportations. She is also suspected of shielding cartel operations from US interference. Sheinbaum is likely questioning her life decisions today as it becomes clear that Trump was not bluffing about replacing Maduro.
There is the issue of global political tensions with China and Russia and unrest in America as leftist activists once again exploit the event as an excuse to organize street mobs (as soon as the weather warms up, of course).
Then there is the question of the fast-approaching midterm elections. Trump will need to present clear justifications to the American people for grabbing a foreign leader.
If Trump stumbles on this, Democrats will seize on every opportunity label him a warmonger. They will assert that Trump is empire-building, trying to steal oil, and that Venezuela is "just the beginning." Keep in mind, these are the same people who tried to rally Americans to support WWIII against Russia over Ukraine, but that fact will be glossed over in favor of the narrative that the Dems will "bring peace and stability."
On the other hand, many conservatives are taking a "F*ck Venezuela" approach and argue that it's high time something was done about an abusive and corrupt communist enclave in America's backyard. Only time will tell if Trump's actions garner favor or anger from his voter base.
Tyler Durden
Sat, 01/03/2026 – 05:32