With Nicolás Maduro in US custody, Donald Trump says ‘we will run’ Venezuela until ‘a safe, proper and judicious transition’ can be made – key US politics stories from 3 January 2026
The US attacked Venezuela and captured its long-serving president Nicolás Maduro on Saturday, with Donald Trump promising to put the country under American control for now, even as Venezuelan officials vowed defiance.
As part of a dramatic overnight operation that knocked out electricity in parts of Caracas, US special forces captured Maduro in or near one of his safe houses, the US president said.
With Maduro in US custody, “we will run the country until such time as we can do a safe, proper and judicious transition”, Trump said.
Donald Trump has vowed the US is “going to run” Venezuela until there is an orderly transition of power but provided few details after ousting the country’s leader, Nicolás Maduro, in an audacious military attack. The president hailed an overnight operation that captured Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, as “an assault like people have not seen since world war two”.
