US to Administer Venezuela Following High-Stakes Military Operation

In a dramatic shift in global geopolitics, President Donald Trump has announced that the United States will effectively govern Venezuela on a temporary basis following a lightning military raid that resulted in the capture of President Nicolás Maduro.¹ Speaking to reporters at his Mar-a-Lago estate on Saturday, 3 January 2026, the President asserted that American oversight is necessary to ensure a “peaceful and proper” transition of power.² He made it clear that US involvement would be total, stating, “We are going to run the country” until such a time as a new administration can be established.³

The operation, codenamed Operation Absolute Resolve, involved elite units from the 1st Delta Special Operations Detachment.⁴ Under the cover of darkness, US forces disabled Venezuelan air defences before launching a series of strikes across the capital, Caracas.⁵ President Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, were reportedly extracted from their residence and are currently being transported by a US warship to New York.⁶ There, they face a litany of federal charges, including narco-terrorism and cocaine importation conspiracies, dating back to indictments first issued in 2020.⁷

Key Logistics of the Venezuela Intervention

The President’s vision for a post-Maduro Venezuela is heavily centred on its vast natural resources.⁸ Trump revealed that American oil giants—which he described as the “greatest in the world”—would soon enter the country to repair and operate its severely dilapidated oil infrastructure.⁹ He argued that the revenue generated from these operations would serve as “reimbursement” for the damages he claims the Maduro government caused to the United States.¹⁰ He also warned that the US military remains poised for a “second and much larger attack” should any elements of the former regime attempt to resist the transition.¹¹

While the operation was hailed as a triumph by many Republican leaders in Washington, it has sparked a firestorm of international condemnation.¹² The United Nations and several Latin American nations, including Brazil and Mexico, have described the raid as a blatant violation of international law and a dangerous precedent for state sovereignty.¹³ Conversely, some of Trump’s regional allies, such as Argentine President Javier Milei, celebrated the move as a victory for liberty.¹⁴

Domestically, the intervention has drawn sharp criticism from Democratic lawmakers, who accused the President of overstepping his constitutional authority by launching a war without Congressional approval.¹⁵ Despite the legal and diplomatic outcry, Trump remains undeterred.¹⁶ He dismissed the procedural concerns of his critics, comparing the success of the Caracas raid to the perceived failures of past administrations and declaring that the United States is “not a laughingstock anymore.”