In a move that has sent shockwaves across the globe, President Donald Trump announced Saturday that the United States will “run” Venezuela on a temporary basis following the dramatic capture of Nicolas Maduro. The announcement came during a mid-day press conference at the President’s Mar-a-Lago residence, just hours after a high-stakes U.S. military operation extracted the Venezuelan leader from Caracas.
The President, flanked by Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, declared that the U.S. would oversee a "safe, proper, and judicious" transition of power to prevent the South American nation from falling into further chaos .
"We’re going to run the country until such time as we can do a safe, proper, and judicious transition," President Trump told reporters. "We don’t want to have somebody else get in and have the same situation that we’ve had for the last long period of years."
Operation "Absolute Resolve"
The capture was the culmination of Operation Absolute Resolve, a lightning-fast military strike that began in the early hours of Saturday morning. Elite Delta Force units, supported by the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment, reportedly descended on Maduro’s residence within the Fort Tiuna military complex in Caracas.
The operation involved precision airstrikes that targeted key military and communication hubs, effectively "turning off the lights" in the capital, according to administration officials. By dawn, Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, had been blindfolded, handcuffed, and transported to the USS Iwo Jima, an amphibious assault ship stationed in the Caribbean. They have since been flown to New York to face federal charges of narco-terrorism and drug trafficking.
An Interim American Administration
The President outlined an assertive plan for the immediate future of Venezuela, which includes:
Direct Oversight: A small group of senior U.S. officials will manage the country’s administration.
Energy Infrastructure: Major U.S. oil companies will be deployed to rehabilitate the country's crumbling oil sector, which the President claimed was "stolen" from American interests by the socialist regime.
Humanitarian Stabilization: U.S. forces will remain on high alert to secure basic welfare and stabilize the local economy.
"We’re going to have our very large United States oil companies... go in, spend billions of dollars, fix the badly broken infrastructure, and start making money for the country," Trump said.
Global and Domestic Reaction
The reaction to the U.S. occupation has been sharply divided. While crowds of Venezuelan exiles in Miami’s "Doral" neighborhood celebrated the news with chants of "Libertad!", the move has drawn intense scrutiny from international leaders and constitutional experts.
International Fallout:
Brazil: President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva condemned the strikes, stating they "crossed an unacceptable line" and set a dangerous precedent for regional sovereignty.
Russia: The Russian Foreign Ministry called the operation an "unacceptable assault" and a violation of international law.
United Kingdom: Prime Minister Keir Starmer stated that while the U.S. regarded Maduro as illegitimate, the U.S. acted unilaterally without British involvement.
Legal Challenges at Home: In Washington, the administration faces a firestorm over the legality of the operation. Lawmakers from both parties have questioned the lack of Congressional authorization. Representative Cliff Bentz and Senator Maria Cantwell were among several Northwest lawmakers who called the action "unconstitutional and reckless," noting that no formal declaration of war or Authorization for Use of Military Force (AUMF) had been granted for regime change.
The Road Ahead
As night falls in Caracas, the city remains under a state of emergency. Venezuelan Vice President Delcy Rodríguez, who initially called for Maduro's release and labeled him the "only president," has reportedly faced pressure to cooperate with the incoming transition team. President Trump suggested that Rodríguez might be "willing to do what is necessary to make Venezuela great again."
The United Nations Security Council is expected to hold an emergency meeting on Monday to discuss the implications of the U.S. intervention. For now, the "stars and stripes" fly metaphorically over the world's largest oil reserves, as the Trump administration prepares for an era of direct involvement in South America not seen in decades.
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