Control of Venezuela, messages to Cuba and Colombia and criticism of Maria Corina: the key points of Trump’s speech after Maduro’s capture

Trump detailed American plans for Venezuela at a press conference Getty Images via BBC The President of the United States, Donald Trump, made a statement to the nation this Saturday (3) after the capture of the President of Venezuela, Nicolás Maduro and the large-scale attack against the South American country. ✅ Follow g1’s international news channel on WhatsApp At a press conference in Florida, he stated that his government must manage Venezuela until a transition is completed and that the US will remain in control until it can “carry out a safe, adequate and judicious transition.” The American president did not set a deadline for the American occupation. According to him, it would be up to the United States to decide when the country would return to Venezuelan control. See the videos that are trending on g1 Explosions were heard in the Venezuelan capital, Caracas, from 2am on Saturday (3am Brasília time). The Venezuelan government denounced the attack as a “military aggression” by the United States. In his speech, Trump did not clarify what exact mechanism he will use to govern the country. READ ALSO Missile launchers, land and submarine landing ships: the US military arsenal in Venezuela; INFOGRAPHIC: how the US surrounded Venezuela in an operation that threatens Maduro; Venezuela declares emergency after US attack The Republican suggested that a team led by members of his government, including Rubio and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, should work together to manage Venezuela until a transition is completed. “We are designating people now” and “we are going to inform you who these people are,” he said, when pressed by journalists about how the government in Venezuela will work. Trump called Maduro an “illegitimate dictator” responsible for bringing “colossal quantities of deadly illicit drugs” into the US and accused him of heading the Cartel de los Soles. The United States accuses Nicolás Maduro of leading an international drug trafficking organization — something Maduro denies. After his capture, Maduro was indicted in the United States on “narcoterrorism” and other charges. The American president also stated that all political and military figures in Venezuela must understand that what happened to Maduro could happen to them. “The Venezuelan people are free again,” he said. Reuters via BBC During the press address, the American president stated that the oil economy in Venezuela is a “failure” and added that the US is “ready” to carry out a second “much larger” attack on the country, if necessary. “We don’t want someone else to take power and find ourselves in the same situation that we’ve had in recent years. So we’re going to govern the country until we can make a safe, adequate and judicious transition, and it needs to be judicious. Because that’s what defines us.” He went on to say that the US “partnership” with Venezuela will make the Venezuelan people “rich, independent and secure.” “They will no longer suffer,” he said at the press conference. Asked by journalists whether the US “administering” Venezuela would mean US troops on Venezuelan soil, Trump did not rule out the possibility of US troops in Venezuela in the future. “We are going to make sure this country is run correctly,” he said. Trump also said that Marco Rubio, Secretary of State, is in contact with Venezuelan Vice President Delcy Rodríguez, who has agreed to do what the US “needs” for the transition. “She was quite gracious, I think,” Trump said of Rodríguez. He was also asked if he had contact with Venezuelan opposition leader and Nobel Peace Prize winner Maria Corina Machado. He stated that he had not spoken to her, but that it would be “very difficult” for Machado to lead Venezuela. Although she is a “very nice woman,” Trump continued, “she doesn’t have the necessary support or respect within the country.” Trump released a photo of Maduro after his capture Reproduction How was the attack and capture of Maduro This Saturday’s attack was condemned by China, Iran, Russia and most Latin American leaders, but Argentine president, Javier Milei, celebrated the “advance of freedom”. In turn, Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT) stated that the attack is “unacceptable”, violates Venezuelan sovereignty and sets a “dangerous precedent”. At the press conference in Florida, US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth described this morning’s operation as “a major joint military and law enforcement operation, executed to perfection.” Maduro “had his chance, just like Iran had its chance,” Hegseth said. According to the American network CBS, the BBC’s partner in the United States, “President Trump ordered the attacks in several parts of Venezuela, including military installations.” A CIA source within the Venezuelan government helped the US track Maduro’s location before his capture by the US Army’s Delta Force, according to CBS, as first reported by The New York Times. The source was part of an extensive intelligence network that contributed to the operation, the result of months of meticulous planning and partnership between the CIA and the US Department of Defense. To date, BBC Verify, the BBC’s information checking service, has confirmed attacks in four locations in the country: the Generalíssimo Francisco de Miranda Air Base; the Port of La Guaira; Higuerote Airport; and Fort Tiuna. Also present at the speech, General Dan Caine, chairman of the American Joint Chiefs of Staff, shared details of the planning of the operation that captured Nicolás Maduro, dubbed “Operation Absolute Resolution”. The military stated that the US armed forces maintained “total element of surprise”, dismantling and deactivating Venezuelan air defense systems. According to him, upon arriving at the complex where Maduro was, the American helicopters “were fired upon” and responded with “overwhelming force.” One helicopter was hit, but all American aircraft were able to return to base, he says. Maduro and his wife then “gave up” and were detained by the Department of Justice and boarded on the aircraft carrier USS Iwo Jima. Maduro was captured along with his wife by US forces, Trump said Getty Images via BBC The military described the action as “discreet” and “precise”, and claims it required “all components” of the joint forces, including soldiers, sailors, airmen, marines and others, “working in unison” with intelligence agencies and police forces. According to Caine, Maduro’s “extraction” was so precise that it required more than 150 aircraft, all converging in the right place and time. Regarding the preparatory work, he refers to “months” of intelligence work, uncovering details about Maduro, including where he lived and what he ate. Attack is the height of escalating tension between the US and Venezuela A fire at Fort Tiuna, Venezuela’s largest military complex, is seen in the distance after a series of explosions in Caracas, on January 3, 2026 Getty Images via BBC The American attack on Venezuela and the capture of Maduro are the height of the months-long escalation in military tensions with Venezuela. Trump’s coming to power in early 2025 in the United States marked the beginning of an increase in American hostilities against Caracas. The president’s first act on Venezuela, in February, was to designate criminal organizations in the country as terrorist groups. This paved the way for deportations in the US of dozens of Venezuelans — who were accused by the American government of being part of these groups. The deportations ended up being suspended by a decision from the American Court. In August, the US increased the reward for information leading to the arrest of President Nicolás Maduro; and began sending ships, jets and a nuclear submarine to the Caribbean Sea. In September, American forces began attacking boats in the Caribbean and the Pacific. The US government says the vessels were transporting drugs from South America to the US. Since September, the United States has launched 30 attacks on what it says are vessels used for drug trafficking, targeting ships in the Pacific and Caribbean. More than 110 people have died since the US carried out its first attack on a vessel in international waters on September 2. More recently, there are reports of telephone conversations between Trump and Maduro — with an ultimatum from the American government for the Venezuelan to leave the country. The US also authorized special operations by the CIA intelligence agency in Venezuela and threatened ground action in the country. At the end of November, the American government closed Venezuelan airspace. American citizens have been advised not to visit Venezuela or to leave the country if they are there. In December, Trump announced that he had ordered a “total and complete” blockade of all sanctioned oil tankers entering and leaving Venezuela. The US had offered a reward of US$50 million for information leading to Maduro’s arrest.

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