President Donald Trump has said he intends to temporarily take over control of Venezuela after the United States launched a major surprise attack on the country overnight.
President Trump told reporters Saturday morning at a press conference from his Mar-a-Lago mansion in Palm Beach, Florida, that he would “run the country until we have a safe, proper and wise transition of power.”
President Trump said the Venezuela operation was “one of the most amazing, effective and powerful displays of American military power.”
President Trump also said, “Not a single American service member was killed, and no American military equipment was lost, including many helicopters, many airplanes, and many people involved in this battle.”
U.S. President Donald Trump holds a press conference from President Trump’s Mar-a-Lago club in Palm Beach, Florida, on January 3, 2026, in response to the attack on Venezuela that captured President Nicolas Maduro and his wife, Syria Flores.
Jonathan Ernst | Reuters
U.S. forces have detained Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores. The couple were charged in the Southern District of New York with drug trafficking charges.
Gen. Dan Cain, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said the mission included “the launch of more than 150 aircraft across the Western Hemisphere, timed and spaced to achieve cumulative effect for a single purpose: delivering an interdiction force into downtown Caracas while maintaining an element of tactical surprise.”
On January 3, 2026, explosions and low-flying aircraft are heard in Caracas, Venezuela, and smoke billows from the port of La Guaira.
Jesus Vargas | Getty Images
President Trump has said the United States will remain in charge of Venezuela until a safe transition of leadership is completed. He also said the United States would run the country in “groups” and “appoint different people,” but gave no details.
President Trump said Venezuelan Vice President Delcy Rodríguez had been in touch with Secretary of State Marco Rubio after taking office.
“She’s essentially willing to do what we think is necessary to make Venezuela great again,” Trump said. Rubio added that Congress was not briefed ahead of the operation.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio stands behind President Donald Trump and speaks during a press conference following the attack on Venezuela that captured President Nicolas Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, from Trump’s Mar-a-Lago club in Palm Beach, Florida, on January 3, 2026.
Jonathan Ernst | Reuters
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D.N.Y.) said in a statement that the decision to launch military action in Venezuela without Congressional approval was “reckless.”
“The idea that Mr. Trump is planning to rule Venezuela should strike fear into the hearts of all Americans,” Schumer said. “Americans have seen this before, and they have paid a devastating price.”
Mary Ellen O’Connell, a professor of international law and conflict resolution at the University of Notre Dame School of Law, likened the operation to the 2003 invasion of Iraq.
“President Trump is right to take action against illegal drugs, but his actions in Venezuela have not proven successful,” she said.
“A successful economy requires strong, independent courts, a fair criminal justice system and respect for the law,” O’Connell said. “Trump’s actions ignore these fundamental factors. The best prediction at this point is that there will be chaos in Venezuela just as there was in Iraq.”
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