US President Donald Trump made a statement this Saturday afternoon (3), at his residence in Mar-a-Lago, Florida, to celebrate the success of the American attack on Venezuela. He stated that the US will govern the South American country until a new government takes over the country.
Trump added that after the capture of Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, the US “cannot risk someone who does not have the good of the Venezuelan people in mind taking control of Venezuela.” “We’ve had decades of this and we’re not going to let it happen again,” he declared.
“We will govern the country until we can have a peaceful transition,” Trump said, explaining that the US military was ready to carry out a second, “much larger” wave of attacks if that became necessary. Trump also declared that a team led by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, present at the press conference, will take care of this transition.
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The tone was one of celebration and patriotic praise for the action, stating that the USA “regained respect”. He recalled, in particular, the American military failure in Afghanistan, a legacy of Democratic rival, former President Joe Biden.
“No nation can achieve what the United States recently achieved,” declared the American president, mentioning the actions against Qassem Soleimani (2020), an Iranian soldier killed in Iraq and Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi (2019), an Iraqi soldier killed in Syria.
Trump mentioned “not so successful” military actions, citing especially the intervention in Afghanistan. The US military operation in that country ended with a withdrawal considered negative for the nation’s image, resulting in the Islamic dictatorship of the Taliban regaining power. The withdrawal from Afghanistan was determined by the Democratic administration of Joe Biden.
He stated that “US dominance” will no longer be questioned after Saturday’s military actions. “US dominance will never be questioned again, this will never happen again,” he warned.
Trump also threatened other terrorists and dictators from other parts of the world, saying that what happened to Nicolas Maduro, who was captured and taken to court, could happen to others. Trump specifically cited the case of Colombian President Gustavo Petro, to whom he attributes drug trafficking actions. “It was an attack for sovereignty and justice,” he said, regarding the attack on Venezuela.
Trump declared that no military personnel were killed and no equipment was damaged after Saturday’s action. He declared that military action like this had not been seen since World War II.
Accusation against Maduro comes out of secrecy
A judge at the Federal Court for the Southern District of New York lifted the seal of the new indictment against Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro. The document expands the complaint, the same one presented in 2020, placing the Venezuelan as the leader of a narcoterrorism network. For more than two decades, Maduro allegedly used the structure of the Venezuelan state to infiltrate large quantities of cocaine into the United States.
“Maduro and his wife will soon be faced with the full power of American justice,” he declared.
In September 2025, Secretary of State Marco Rubio classified Maduro as a “fugitive from American justice.” As the US government does not recognize him as the legitimate president, the reward for information that would lead to his arrest was raised to US$50 million (more than R$250 million).
The structure of the “Cartel of the Suns”
The prosecution maintains that Maduro leads the so-called Cartel de los Soles, an organization made up of high-ranking Venezuelan military commandos (whose insignia display suns). According to the complaint, the group’s objective was not only to enrich themselves and maintain power, but also to use drugs as a “weapon” to flood and destabilize the United States.
The text describes the Venezuelan government as an “illegitimate” power, citing international questioning of the 2018 and 2024 elections. It is estimated that, around 2020, between 200 and 250 tons of cocaine passed through Venezuelan territory annually.
According to the EFE agency, the case is under the responsibility of federal judge Alvin K. Hellerstein. The American judicial system has already prosecuted other former Latin American leaders in similar contexts, such as Panamanian Manuel Noriega and Honduran Juan Orlando Hernández. If convicted, Maduro’s sentences could result in life in prison.
