New Delhi, January 3: US President Donald Trump on Saturday said the United States would effectively “run” Venezuela until a “safe” transition to democracy is secured, following the arrest of President Nicolas Maduro. Speaking at a press conference at Mar-a-Lago, Trump said Maduro would be transferred to New York to face criminal charges.

“We’re going to run it until it’s safe, until there is a proper transition to democracy,” Trump said, asserting that Washington would oversee stability in the country during the interim period.

Trump claimed American forces carried out an “extraordinary” military operation in Venezuela’s capital overnight, acting on his direct orders. “Late last night and early today at my direction, the United States armed forces conducted an extraordinary military operation in the capital of Venezuela,” he said. “Overwhelming military power, air, land and sea, was used to launch a spectacular assault - an assault like people have not seen since World War II.” US Strikes on Venezuela: Donald Trump Says Nicolas Maduro, Wife Cilia Flores Held on US Warship, Face Prosecution in New York.

He described the target as “a heavily fortified military fortress in the heart of Caracas” aimed at bringing what he called “outlaw dictator Nicolás Maduro to justice.” Trump warned that the US remains prepared to escalate militarily if necessary. “We are ready to stage a second and much larger attack if we need to so,” he said, though he added that such action may not be required. “The first attack was so successful that we probably don’t have to do a second.” Donald Trump Says He Watched Nicolas Maduro ‘Capture’ Live, Calls It ‘Like a Television Show’.

Trump further claimed the operation neutralised Venezuela’s armed forces within hours. “No nation in the world could achieve what America achieved yesterday,” he said. “In just a short period of time, all Venezuelan military capacities were rendered powerless.”

Describing the conditions during the raid, Trump said the capital was plunged into darkness. “It was dark - the lights of Caracas were largely turned off due to a certain expertise that we have,” he said, adding, “It was dark. It was deadly.” He also stressed that the mission was completed without American casualties or equipment losses.

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(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jan 03, 2026 11:07 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).