Washington–President Donald Trump on Saturday said he personally watched the US military operation that led to the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, calling it an “amazing” mission marked by speed and precision.
Speaking to Fox & Friends Weekend hours after the raid, Trump said he and his team followed the operation live from Mar-a-Lago through video feeds. “It was an amazing thing, the amazing job that these people did. There’s nobody else who could have done anything like it,” he said.
Trump described watching US forces breach reinforced steel doors within seconds. “They broke through steel doors in a matter of seconds,” he said. “I’ve never seen anything like it, actually.”
The President said no American troops were killed during the operation, though he suggested some may have been injured after a helicopter involved in the mission was struck. He did not elaborate further.
According to Trump, Maduro and Flores were flown by helicopter out of Venezuela and transported to the USS Iwo Jima, one of several US naval vessels operating in the Caribbean. “They’ll be heading into New York,” Trump said. “The helicopters took them out, and they went by helicopter, a nice flight. I’m sure they loved it.”
Fox News reported that Maduro could make an initial appearance in federal court in Manhattan as early as Monday, citing sources familiar with the matter, though the timing could still change.
Attorney General Pam Bondi reiterated that Maduro and Flores have already been indicted in the Southern District of New York, where they face multiple charges, including serious narcotics-related offenses.
Trump brushed aside criticism from some lawmakers who questioned the legality of the US action. Responding to comments from Representative Jim Himes of Connecticut, the top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, Trump said Democrats were “weak, stupid people.”
“They should say great job,” Trump said. “They shouldn’t say, ‘Oh, gee, maybe it’s not constitutional.’ You know the same old stuff that we’ve been hearing for years and years and years.”
The President also warned Venezuelan officials against continuing to support Maduro. “If they stay loyal, the future is really bad, really bad for them,” he said, adding that he believed many had already shifted their stance. Several senior Venezuelan officials, however, condemned the US operation on state television on Saturday.
People familiar with the mission said the operation relied on elite US units. The CIA identified the location where Maduro and his wife were staying, while US Army Delta Force soldiers carried out the raid. The CIA also supported air, sea, and land components of what officials described as a highly secretive “snatch and grab” operation.
Trump declined to immediately endorse Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado when asked about her role going forward. “Well, we have to look at it right now,” he said. “They have a vice president, as you know. I mean, I don’t know about what kind of an election that was, but the election of Maduro was a disgrace.”
Maduro has faced US criminal charges since 2020, with Washington accusing his government of corruption, drug trafficking, and undermining democratic institutions—allegations that Venezuelan authorities have consistently denied. (Source; IANS)
