Venezuelans celebrate after US President Donald Trump announced that Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro had been captured and flown out of the country in Santiago, Chile, on Saturday, Jan. 3, 2026.APTrump said Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, were captured.APMaduro is a highly controversial president who took office in 2013.APTensions between the US and Venezuela's regime have been on the rise.APPeople holding Venezuelan flags react to Trump's announcement in Doral, Miami, Florida, on January 3, 2026.REUTERSCelebrations continue in Miami following Maduro's capture.REUTERS
VP Vance celebrates Maduro capture: 'President Trump means what he says'
Vice President Vance celebrated the capture of Nicolás Maduro on Saturday, saying the Venezuelan dictator had been given fair warning by the US.
"The president offered multiple off ramps, but was very clear throughout this process: the drug trafficking must stop, and the stolen oil must be returned to the United States," Vance wrote on X.
Vice President JD Vance speaks on the final day of Turning Point USA's annual AmericaFest conference at the Phoenix Convention Center on Dec. 21, 2025, in Phoenix, Arizona. Getty Images
"Maduro is the newest person to find out that President Trump means what he says. Kudos to our brave special operators who pulled off a truly impressive operation."
Vance also slammed critics who claim the US's overnight airstrikes on the Venezuelan capital were "illegal."
"Maduro has multiple indictments in the United States for narcoterrorism," Vance wrote. "You don't get to avoid justice for drug trafficking in the United States because you live in a palace in Caracas."
Trump warned Maduro not to 'f--k around with the US' months before capture
President Trump offered an advance warning to Venezuelan dictator Nicolás Maduro months before the US captured him and his wife.
“He doesn’t want to f--k around with the United States," the president said in an October press conference.
US President Donald Trump announces tariffs on auto imports in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, DC, on March 26, 2025. AFP via Getty Images
The Official White House Rapid Response account resurfaced the clip Saturday morning -- just hours after handing down a litany of charges against the embattled dictator and his wife.
Trump's statement was in response to a reporter's question about "remediation" between the two countries, and whether the president had any words for Maduro.
"He's offered everything. You know why?" Trump said before dropping the crude remark.
Venezuelan dictator Nicolás Maduro and his First Lady Cilia Flores were indicted after they were captured by US forces during a high-stakesmilitary operation Saturday morning.
Maduro and Flores were charged in the Southern District of New York with narco-terrorism conspiracy, cocaine importation conspiracy, possession of machine guns and destructive devices, and conspiracy to possess machine guns and destructive devices against the United States, Attorney General Pam Bondi said on X early Saturday
“They will soon face the full wrath of American justice on American soil in American courts,” Bondi said.
“I would like to thank President Trump for having the courage to demand accountability on behalf of the American People, and a huge thank you to our brave military who conducted the incredible and highly successful mission to capture these two alleged international narco traffickers.”
Venezuela President Nicolas Maduro gestures next to his wife Cilia Flores on Jan. 14, 2019.REUTERS
The 63-year-old, who has held power in the country since 2013, was taken by the US military after President Trump ordered airstrikes on several military bases across the Venezuelan capital of Caracas.
Maduro is expected to face trial for his charges when he arrives in the US, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said, according to Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT).
“Just got off the phone with @SecRubio,” Lee wrote on X. “He informed me that Nicolás Maduro has been arrested by US personnel to stand trial on criminal charges in the United States, and that the kinetic action we saw tonight was deployed to protect and defend those executing the arrest warrant.
“This action likely falls within the president’s inherent authority under Article II of the Constitution to protect US personnel from an actual or imminent attack,” Lee added.
Maduro has been wanted by the United States since at least 2020, when the first Trump administration hit him with the slew of charges.
Trump had placed an initial $15 million bounty for information leading to Maduro’s capture after the federal charges were filed in the Southern District of New York in March 2020.
In August, Trump increased the bounty to $50 million as officials accused Maduro of using foreign terrorist organizations like [Tren de Aragua], Sinaloa and Cartel of the Suns to bring drugs and violence into the US.
A vehicle burns at La Carlota air base after an overnight US airstrike on the South American country.AFP via Getty Images
The Drug Enforcement Administration has thus far seized 30 tons of cocaine linked to Maduro and his associates, Attorney General Pam Bondi said in August, and “nearly seven tons linked to Maduro himself, which represents a primary source of income for the deadly cartels based in Venezuela and Mexico.”
Maduro was flown out of Venezuela on Saturday morning, but it was unknown where the US military and law enforcement agents were transporting him.
“A new dawn for Venezuela! The tyrant is gone. He will now—finally—face justice for his crimes,” US Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau wrote on X.
Explosions were first reported in Caracas and neighboring states at around 2 a.m. local time.
Several military facilities, including the country’s largest complex, Fuerte Tiuna were struck, sparking a large fire, during the nighttime operation.
Trump praised the efforts of the “brilliant operation” as part of “a lot of good planning,” he told the New York Times.
The Trump administration has repeatedly called Maduro’s regime “illegitimate” and said he has remained in power because of rigged elections, including 2024, when he faced opposition candidate Edmundo Gonzalez.
“The status quo with the Venezuelan regime is intolerable for the United States,” Rubio said in December.
“The illegitimate regime in Venezuela … invite[s] Hezbollah and Iran to operate from their territory [and] also allows [Columbian terror groups] ELN and the FARC dissidents not just to operate from inside of Venezuelan territory, but to control Venezuelan territory unencumbered, unimpeded,” he added.
Supporters of Nicolas Maduro embrace in downtown Caracas, on Jan. 3, 2026.AP
Venezuelan Executive Vice President Delcy Rodríguez, who is next in line for the presidency according to the country’s constitution, has demanded “proof of life” of the captured Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, according to state media.
Rodríguez, a close ally of Maduro, revealed the government did not know the whereabouts of Maduro after he was flown out of the country.
Rodríguez, 56, has been a powerful figure in Venezuelan politics for decades, having begun in 2003 before ascending into the Hugo Chavez administration in 2006 and remaining a top figure in Maduro’s regime.
A supporter of Nicolas Maduro holds a Venezuelan flag on a street near the presidential palace on Jan. 3, 2026.REUTERS
Allies of the Venezuelan dictator have denounced the US military operation, but European leaders have called for “restraint” respecting international law, but added that Maduro “lacks legitimacy.”
“The EU has repeatedly stated that Mr Maduro lacks legitimacy and has defended a peaceful transition. Under all circumstances, the principles of international law and the UN Charter must be respected. We call for restraint,” the European Union’s Kaja Kallas added.
Venezuelan opposition leader and 2025 Nobel Peace Prize winner María Corina Machado is viewed as a possible replacement by the people of Venezuela if Rodríguez fails to assume power.
Trump is expected to hold a news conference at his Mar-a-Lago resort at 11 a.m. Saturday.
