BREAKING: President Trump Says the U.S. has “CAPTURED” President Maduro of Venezuela!

[Conservative Angle]

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President Trump has announced that President Maduro of Venezuela — along with his wife — have been “CAPTURED”!

The attacks which we reported on a short time ago have now been confirmed by President Trump to have been conducted by the US military.

Part of the operation included American boots on the ground, targeting Maduro 1989 style… with serious Noriega vibes.

All though, President Trump very specifically pointed out the US LAW ENFORCEMENT aspect of this operation in his Truth Social announcement.

Which is likely a nod to keeping well within the constitutional limits of Presidential authority for an operation like this. (More on that in a minute…)

We’ll likely get to see a little farther behind the curtain on that once more details come out — which we’ve been promised will happen at 11:00am EST later today.

Here’s the President’s announcement, which he made just a short time ago via his Truth Social account:

And here’s the full text of his post, in case that’s hard to make out:

The United States of America has successfully carried out a large scale strike against Venezuela and its leader, President Nicolas Maduro, who has been, along with his wife, captured and flown out of the Country. This operation was done in conjunction with U.S. Law Enforcement. Details to follow. There will be a News Conference today at 11 A.M., at Mar-a-Lago. Thank you for your attention to this matter! President DONALD J. TRUMP

As I covered in my earlier report as the attacks were happening, quite a bit of the mainstream reporting emphasized the increased activities of nations like Iran, China, and Russia inside Venezuela.

Nations that have distinct adversarial relationships with the United States.

As President Trump announced Maduro’s capture, the emphasis on those adversarial nations and their connection to Maduro remained a key part of the media’s reporting on the situation.

Check out this Fox News report which viewed the attack, and Maduro’s capture, as a message to the Iranian Ayatollah and Putin as much as anything else:

BREAKING: The U.S. military has CAPTURED Venezuelan president Nicholas Maduro and his wife.

President Trump is planning an announcement today at 11:00am EST. pic.twitter.com/QKSGatUdaA

— E X X ➠A L E R T S (@ExxAlerts) January 3, 2026

The nighttime attack reportedly involved US Special Forces in a snatch-and-grab operation.

Though the Venezuelan government has yet to comment on Maduro’s capture, according to Reuters:

The U.S. struck Venezuela overnight and captured its long-serving President Nicolas Maduro, President Donald Trump said early on Saturday after months of pressuring him over accusations of drug-running and illegitimacy in power.

Washington has not made such a direct intervention in Latin America since the invasion of Panama in 1989 to depose military leader Manuel Noriega, over similar allegations.

The U.S. had accused Maduro of running a “narco-state” and rigging last year’s election, which the opposition said it won overwhelmingly. The Venezuelan leader, who succeeded Hugo Chavez to take power in 2013, has said Washington wants to take control of Venezuela’s oil reserves, the largest in the world.

Maduro was captured by elite special forces troops, a U.S. official told Reuters.

There was no immediate confirmation from the Venezuelan government. (Emphasis added.)

The White House “Rapid Response” account on X.com didn’t wait long to put out a mic drop moment.

They quickly reposted a clip from October, showing a reporter asking about Maduro during a cabinet meeting.

Sorry for the F-bomb…

But here’s a clip of the President warning months ago that Maduro would “find out” if he kept thumbing his nose at President Trump and the United States:

“[Maduro] doesn’t want to f**k around with the United States.”

— @POTUS (10/17/25)pic.twitter.com/rf2EHhjoYw

— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) January 3, 2026

Here’s the full screen version of that video… for your viewing pleasure:

“[Maduro] doesn’t want to f**k around with the United States.”

— @POTUS (10/17/25)pic.twitter.com/rf2EHhjoYw

— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) January 3, 2026

Apparently the operation included some rather spicy action — but thankfully, so far, no reports of American casualties have crossed my desk.

Podcaster Mario Nawfal compiled a comprehensive account of what went down, according to several news sources.

Here’s his synopsis of the attack, and the capture mission, as shared via his X account, and I’ll put the full text of his account down below for easier reading:

HOW THE U.S. LIKELY CAPTURED MADURO: INSIDE THE SPECIAL OPS HELICOPTER STRIKES ON CARACAS

Hours ago, the U.S. launched a coordinated special operations raid into Caracas, Venezuela, using MH-47G Chinook and MH-60 Black Hawk helicopters from the elite 160th Special… https://t.co/r8ZL6wh1mt pic.twitter.com/gkSipDhwdF

— Mario Nawfal (@MarioNawfal) January 3, 2026

Here’s the full text of Nawfal’s take on how the operation went down according to various outlets (which he includes as footnotes):

Hours ago, the U.S. launched a coordinated special operations raid into Caracas, Venezuela, using MH-47G Chinook and MH-60 Black Hawk helicopters from the elite 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment (SOAR), known as the “Night Stalkers.”

These aircraft were critical for penetrating urban terrain and contested airspace after initial airstrikes suppressed Venezuelan air defenses, including Buk-M2E surface-to-air missile systems.

The MH-47G Chinooks served as the heavy-lift backbone of the operation, transporting larger strike teams and specialized equipment directly into hostile zones like Fuerte Tiuna and La Carlota.

MH-60 Black Hawks – especially Direct Action Penetrator (DAP) variants – provided agile insertion, close air support, and rapid extraction, ideal for hit-and-run tactics targeting regime command centers or high-value figures like President Nicolás Maduro.

Helicopters flew in tight formations, offering armed overwatch with rockets, miniguns, and Hellfire missiles while executing low-altitude raids designed to evade radar and overwhelm with speed. Their ability to strike, land, deploy, and exit within minutes made them the weapon of choice for decapitation-style missions.

This was not a full-scale invasion – it was a surgical raid. The likely launch points were amphibious assets like the USS Iwo Jima or airfields in Puerto Rico, negating the need for fixed-wing deep penetration or ground convoys.

The psychological impact was just as important as the tactical effect: low-flying U.S. helicopters over central Caracas sent a clear signal of air dominance and regime vulnerability.

Hours later, Trump announced that Maduro had been captured and removed from the country.

Sources: The War Zone, CBS News, Reuters, OSINT (@Aviation_Intel, @vcdgf555), eyewitness footage from Caracas.

As he pointed out, we now know that this was not a “full-scale invasion”, but a rather perfectly executed precision strike, aimed ultimately at capturing Maduro.

Most of the reporting and videos coming out of Venezuela, including the following report from the AP, corroborates a highly coordinated, lighting fast strike with very clear targets and goals.

Chief among them… the successful capture of Maduro.

In fact, the attack only lasted about half an hour, according to this report from the Associated Press:

The United States hit Venezuela with a “large-scale strike” early Saturday and said its president, Nicolás Maduro, had been captured and flown out of the country after months of stepped-up pressure by Washington — an extraordinary nighttime operation announced by President Donald Trump on social media hours after the attack.

Multiple explosions rang out and low-flying aircraft swept through Caracas, the capital, as Maduro’s government immediately accused the United States of attacking civilian and military installations. The Venezuelan government called it an “imperialist attack” and urged citizens to take to the streets.

It was not immediately clear who was running the country, and Maduro’s whereabouts were not immediately known. Trump announced the developments on Truth Social shortly after 4:30 a.m. ET.

It was not immediately clear if there were casualties. The apparent attack itself lasted less than 30 minutes, but it was unclear if more actions lay ahead, though Trump said in his post that the strikes were carried out “successfully.”

I pointed out in my earlier reporting of the attack that questions were already being raised concerning the constitutional legality of the strikes.

Particularly if the attack turned out to be the US military… in a full-out assault or invasion of Venezuela.

Senator Mike Lee, for one, raised that question:

I look forward to learning what, if anything, might constitutionally justify this action in the absence of a declaration of war or authorization for the use of military force https://t.co/f5ackJn5Mi

— Mike Lee (@BasedMikeLee) January 3, 2026

The Senator has apparently already had a chance to have those constitutional questions satisfied.

After referencing a CBS News report that Delta Force was “involved” in the capture of Maduro…

This particular news piece went on to explain that Senator Mike Lee had already had a chance to talk to Marco Rubio about the operation.

And the Senator was reportedly told by Rubio that the law enforcement arrest of Maduro necessitate the military side of the operation in order to give reasonable protection to the law enforcement contingent.

That is according to this report from CNBC:

CBS News reported that the U.S. Army’s elite Delta Force unit was involved in the capture of Maduro. The Pentagon declined to answer CNBC’s queries and referred questions to the White House.

Republican Senator Mike Lee, who had earlier questioned if the strike was constitutional, said Saturday that Secretary of State Marco Rubio told him Maduro was arrested by U.S. forces and would be brought to the United States to face criminal charges.

He added that the operation “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 U.S. personnel from an actual or imminent attack,” Lee added. (Emphasis added.)

As I wrap up this report, I just noticed that Venezuela has apparently recognized that Maduro is nowhere to be found.

Check out this report from Sky News:

BREAKING: The Venezuelan government does not know the whereabouts of President Nicolas Maduro, says the country's vice-president Delcy Rodriguez in an audio message on state television.

Rodriguez demanded "proof of life" of Maduro and his wife.

https://t.co/D40FIyT5hP pic.twitter.com/diBppeL7gY

— Sky News (@SkyNews) January 3, 2026

I also noticed that they’re still referring to Delcy Rodriguez as the “Vice President” of Venezuela.

Per President Trump’s announcement a short time ago… I’d suggest a small promotion and a change of title might be in order for Rodriguez.

Unless, of course, she’d rather retain her “VP” status in order to avoid certain workplace dangers?

She likewise probably should avoid any political events that happen to take place in a boat, for that matter.

I’m going to solidly place this in the “still developing” stack of stories — and we’ll continue to bring you the latest as things play out.

President Trump promised a press conference in his Truth Social post at 11:00 am EST from Mar-a-Lago.

And we’ll be sure to bring you all the details of that event, as well.

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