Donald Trump details the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro: “It was a brilliant operation”
Donald Trump, November 22, 2025, Washington. Credit line: Joey Sussman / Zuma Press / Profimedia
“President Trump seemed tired,” noted the journalists of the reference newspaper of the United States, The New York Times, who called the leader from the White House shortly after he announced the capture of President Nicolas Maduro.
“The United States of America has successfully conducted a large-scale attack against Venezuela and its leader, President Nicolas Maduro, who, along with his wife, has been captured and removed from the country. This operation was conducted in collaboration with US special forces,” Trump said Saturday morning on Truth Social.
BREAKING Trump says US 'captured' President Nicolas Maduro after large-scale attack on Venezuela
“Very good planning”
The New York Times called the US president shortly after the announcement, and he provided some details about the capture of the Venezuelan president. According to journalists, the 50-second conversation began with Trump “first celebrating the success of the mission.”
“Very good planning and a lot of wonderful soldiers and people. It was actually a brilliant operation,” Donald Trump said on the phone.
Asked by the NYT if he had sought congressional authorization before the US military, along with law enforcement personnel, embarked on a “large-scale attack” against Venezuela, Trump said: “We'll discuss it. We'll hold a press conference.”
Journalists also asked the US leader what his plans are for Venezuela and why this risky mission was worth it.
“You'll find out at 11 o'clock,” Trump said before hanging up. And in his announcement on Truth Social, the American leader announced that he will hold a press conference at 11:00 a.m. (6:00 p.m. in Romania).
Although the US president did not give further details about Maduro's capture, US officials told CBS News that the Venezuelan president was captured early Saturday by members of Delta Force, the US military's top special military unit. It is the same unit that was also responsible for the 2019 mission that killed former Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.
The US attacked Venezuela
Loud explosions and low-flying planes were reported in the Venezuelan capital Caracas on Saturday morning.
Immediately, Venezuela's authoritarian government accused the US of attacking Venezuela to “take control of Venezuela's strategic resources, especially its oil and minerals.” The Venezuelan government also charged that the US risks throwing Latin America into chaos with an “extremely serious” act of “imperialist aggression”.
Donald Trump later confirmed the attack.
The US has long accused Nicolas Maduro of running an international drug-trafficking organization, which Maduro denies.
This, along with the massive military buildup in the region in recent months, has been interpreted in the region as an encouragement for someone inside the country to turn against him.
