US plans to ‘run’ Venezuela and tap its oil reserves, Trump says, after operation to oust Maduro

Ousted Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro spent the night in a New York prison cell after he was captured by US special forces in a brazen military raid that killed at least 40 people, after which Donald Trump said he would now “run” the South American nation and harvest its bountiful oil supplies.

The US president accompanied the stunning display of American power with an explicit reassertion of the 19th-century Monroe Doctrine declaring US dominance in the western hemisphere, in a clear warning to China and Russia over their influence in the region and a bold statement to adversaries elsewhere.

Maduro, a socialist dictator who served as president of Venezuela since 2013, but was not recognised by the US and many other nations, said “good night, happy new year” as he was walked through the Metropolitan Detention Centre in Brooklyn on Saturday night (US time) in footage broadcast by the White House.

Hours earlier, the 63-year-old and his wife, Cilia Flores, were snatched from their compound in the Venezuelan capital of Caracas in an overnight military operation involving more than 150 aircraft launched from about 20 land and sea bases. Trump said the pair were caught as they tried to enter a secure bunker.

Trump provided few details about US plans for Venezuela’s future, saying he would designate members of his team to “run” Venezuela, but also suggesting they might work with Maduro’s deputy, Delcy Rodriguez, who was declared acting president by Venezuela’s Supreme Court.

He also dismissed the idea of Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado – the winner of this year’s Nobel Peace Prize – running the country, claiming she did not have the support or respect of the people.

“We are going to run the country until such time as we can do a safe, proper and judicious transition,” Trump told reporters at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida, where he ordered and oversaw the operation. “It’s going to be run very judiciously. It’s going to make a lot of money … We’re going to take care of everybody.”

Trump left the door open to “a second and much larger attack” on Venezuela if it were required, and put other South American leaders on notice, warning that Colombian President Gustavo Petro ought to “watch his ass”.

Dan Caine, the chairman of the joint chiefs of staff, outlined a daring military operation – preceded by months of CIA-led intelligence gathering on Maduro’s life and movements, including his pets – that was initially green-lit in early December but was delayed until the most opportune time.

Trump ordered the operation at 10.46pm on Friday night (Washington time), telling the military: “Good luck, and Godspeed.” As helicopters flew at low altitude towards Caracas, the US Air Force began disabling Venezuela’s air defence systems, while Trump said the capital’s lights were “largely turned off due to a certain expertise that we have”.

The apprehension force descended into Maduro’s compound at 2.01am local time, Caine said, and came under fire. One aircraft was hit but remained flyable, and all US assets returned home safely. No American personnel were killed, though Trump said a few suffered minor injuries.

Maduro and his wife were flown by helicopter to the USS Iwo Jima, where Maduro was photographed wearing a grey sweater, blindfolded and handcuffed. They were later flown to New York, where Maduro was filmed being walked through prison on Saturday night.

The pair face cocaine trafficking charges under an updated, 25-page indictment filed in the Southern District of New York by Trump-appointed attorney Jay Clayton. The indictment does not mention fentanyl, the synthetic opioid responsible for the deaths of tens of thousands of Americans each year. Maduro could appear in court as soon as Monday.

At his Mar-a-Lago news conference, Trump said US Secretary of State Marco Rubio had spoken to Rodriguez and that “she’s essentially willing to do what we think is necessary to make Venezuela great again”, implying the US might work with the Maduro loyalist and oil minister to run the country.

Hours later, Rodriguez appeared on Venezuelan state television and repudiated that claim, declared Maduro’s ousting an illegal kidnapping and demanded his immediate release. “There is only one president in Venezuela, and his name is Nicolás Maduro Moros,” she said.

It was not immediately clear how Venezuela’s military – loyal to Maduro to this point – would respond to his removal. Reporters on the ground in Caracas on Saturday said the streets were quiet and stores were largely closed, though state TV showed some people protesting in the streets. The country, one of the most violent in the world, is also besieged by criminal gangs, including the notorious Tren de Aragua.

Trump said American oil companies – whose assets in Venezuela were seized and nationalised – would invest billions of dollars to upgrade the country’s crumbling oil infrastructure, from which the US would harvest and sell vast quantities of oil.

“We’re going to take a lot of money out so that we can take care of the country,” Trump said. “We’re in the oil business … We’ll be selling large amounts of oil to other countries.”

Trump said he would prefer the US presence in Venezuela to be limited, but these things took time. He gave no indication on how long the US might “run” the country, and said he was not afraid to put boots on the ground.

Chuck Schumer, the leader of the Democrats in the Senate, said it was reckless for Trump to launch military action against another country without congressional approval and with no clear plan for what comes next.

“The idea that Trump plans to now run Venezuela should strike fear in the hearts of all Americans,” Schumer said. “The American people have seen this before and paid the devastating price.”

When reporters asked Trump about the US’s past failed attempts at regime change, he said those occurred under different presidents. He also argued the Venezuelan intervention was “America First”, saying it was important to defend US energy interests.

Rubio said the US had given Maduro plenty of opportunities to negotiate a peaceful exit from power, but he tried to play games.

“[Trump] is not a president who just talks and does letters and press conferences. If he says he’s serious about something, then he means it,” Rubio said. “I don’t understand yet how they haven’t figured this out.”

Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth put it more bluntly. “[Maduro] effed around, and he found out,” Hegseth said. “This is America First. This is peace through strength.”

International reaction

Allies of Maduro, which include Russia, China, Iran and Cuba, denounced the US action, with Beijing saying it was “deeply shocked and strongly condemns the US’s blatant use of force against a sovereign state”. Russia, which itself invaded Ukraine four years ago, condemned the “act of armed aggression against Venezuela”, while Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel described the attack as “criminal”.

Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva said it recalled “the worst moments of interference in the politics” of the region, and Colombia’s Gustavo Petro said he rejected “the aggression against the sovereignty of Venezuela and of Latin America”.

European leaders appeared wary of criticising the US intervention, although they largely appeared to back the end of Maduro’s rule.

French President Emmanuel Macron spoke for many world leaders when he said the Venezuelan people would rejoice at Maduro’s removal, and called for a peaceful, democratic transition of power.

Macron said Edmundo González, who won the 2024 presidential election as a replacement candidate for the disqualified Machado, was the duly elected candidate and should ensure a swift transition.

Though she would be snubbed by Trump, Machado applauded the US operation to remove Maduro, and said González should now assume his constitutional mandate as Venezuelan president and commander-in-chief.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese called for dialogue and diplomacy to prevent escalation, and said Australia had long harboured concerns about the situation in Venezuela.

Opposition Leader Sussan Ley welcomed Maduro’s arrest, citing his illegitimacy as president and saying dictators and despots should always face justice for their crimes.

The US operation in Venezuela took place 36 years to the day after the 1990 US invasion of Panama that led to the surrender and seizure of the country’s then leader, Manuel Antonio Noriega.

Venezuela’s ruling party has held power since 1999, when Maduro’s predecessor, Hugo Chavez, took office, promising to uplift poor people and later to implement a self-described socialist revolution.

Maduro took over when Chavez died in 2013. His 2018 re-election was widely considered a sham because the main opposition parties were banned from participating. During the 2024 election, electoral authorities loyal to the ruling party declared him the winner hours after polls closed, but the opposition gathered overwhelming evidence that he lost by a more than 2-to-1 margin.

In a demonstration of how polarising a figure Maduro is, people variously took to the streets to protest his capture and celebrate it.

The mood on the streets of Caracas

At a protest in the Venezuelan capital, Caracas, Mayor Carmen Melendez joined a crowd demanding Maduro’s return.

“Maduro, hold on, the people are rising up!” the crowd chanted. “We are here, Nicolás Maduro. If you can hear us, we are here!”

Earlier, armed people and uniformed members of a civilian militia took to the streets of a Caracas neighbourhood long considered a stronghold of the ruling party. In other parts of the city, the streets remained empty hours after the attack, as residents absorbed events. Some areas remained without power, but vehicles moved freely.

“How do I feel? Scared, like everyone,” said Caracas resident Noris Prada, who sat on an empty avenue looking down at his phone. “Venezuelans woke up scared, many families couldn’t sleep.”

In the Chilean capital of Santiago, people waved Venezuelan flags and banged pots and pans as vehicles passed by honking at them.

In Doral, Florida, home to the largest Venezuelan community in the US, people wrapped themselves in Venezuelan flags, ate fried snacks and cheered as music played. At one point, the crowd chanted “Liberty! Liberty! Liberty!”

Questions of legality

Some legal experts raised immediate concerns about the operation’s legality.

The United Nations Security Council, acting on an emergency request from Colombia, planned to hold a meeting on US operations in Venezuela on Monday, according to a council diplomat, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss a meeting not yet made public.

Lawmakers from both political parties in the US Congress have raised reservations and flat-out objections to the Trump administration’s attacks on boats suspected of drug smuggling near the Venezuelan coast. Congress has not specifically approved an authorisation for the use of military force for such operations in the region.

Congressman Jim Himes, the top Democrat on the House intelligence committee, said he had seen no evidence that would justify Trump striking Venezuela without approval from Congress and demanded an immediate briefing by the administration on “its plan to ensure stability in the region and its legal justification for this decision”.

With AP, Reuters

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