Staff Reports
On January 3, 2026, the United States carried out a bold and precisely executed military operation that resulted in the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores. The moment was historic and unmistakable: American forces brought an authoritarian drug-trafficking regime to heel after years of watching Venezuela’s people suffer under tyranny and kleptocracy.
President Donald Trump told the nation he watched the raid unfold in real time from Mar-a-Lago and repeatedly praised the skill and speed of the men and women who carried it out. His account—watching live feeds of the assault and seeing special operators breach fortified doors in seconds—underscores what happens when a Commander-in-Chief embraces strength and clarity of purpose.
Reports make clear this was a coordinated operation between intelligence assets and elite U.S. special operations forces, who seized Maduro and transferred him to the U.S.S. Iwo Jima before moving him toward New York to face criminal indictments. This was not a routine strike or a half-measure; it was a surgical mission that neutralized a major narcotics and corruption threat to the hemisphere.
White House officials and the President insisted there were no U.S. fatalities, though some injuries were reported, which is a remarkable outcome given the complexity and scale of the attack. That outcome reflects the professionalism and sacrifice of our special operators and pilots, who executed a high-risk plan with extraordinary precision.
Mr. Trump was blunt about what comes next: Washington intends to be “strongly involved” in Venezuela’s future, including decisions around the country’s vast oil resources that have been squandered by Maduro’s regime for decades. For hardworking Americans, this means the protection of national security interests and an opportunity to prevent Venezuelan wealth from funding narcotraffickers and hostile actors.
Unsurprisingly, the predictable international chorus of condemnation rose immediately, with hostile regimes and left-leaning governments denouncing action and calling for emergency U.N. sessions. Let them denounce—when it comes to protecting our borders and stopping illicit drugs and corruption, America cannot be shackled by the moralizing lectures of our adversaries.
This is what peace through strength looks like in the 21st century: decisive, competent, and unapologetic. The mainstream media will howl, Democratic politicians will clutch their pearls, and tyrants will protest—meanwhile, the men and women in uniform who pulled this off deserve our unwavering support and gratitude. If Washington follows this moment with smart policy to secure energy resources and restore liberty to Venezuelans, history will remember it as a turning point in the fight against tyranny in the Americas.
