CARACAS / WASHINGTON / MAR-A-LAGO – U.S. President Donald Trump declared on Saturday that the United States will indefinitely “run” Venezuela following the overnight capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro in a large-scale U.S. military operation, marking one of the most dramatic foreign interventions by Washington in the Western Hemisphere in decades.

Speaking from his Mar-a-Lago club in Palm Beach, Florida, Trump said the United States would govern Venezuela until what he described as a “safe, proper and judicious transition” of power takes place, though he offered no timeline or details on how such a transition would be implemented.

“We’re going to run the country until such time as we can do a safe, proper and judicious transition,” Trump said. “We don’t want to be involved with putting someone in and ending up with the same situation we’ve had for years.”

A Nighttime Operation Under Cover of Darkness

According to U.S. officials, Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, were captured during a nighttime raid carried out by elite U.S. forces. Sources told CNN that the couple was dragged from their bedroom as part of the operation, which involved multiple helicopters, aircraft, and ground units.

Trump praised the mission as a decisive success, emphasizing that no American service members were killed, although several were injured when a helicopter was struck during the attack.

“If you would have seen what I saw last night, you would have been very impressed,” Trump said. “Not a single American service member was killed, and not a single piece of American equipment was lost.”

The president added that the operation temporarily disabled Venezuela’s military capabilities, claiming that Caracas was plunged into darkness as U.S. forces moved in.

“It was dark and it was deadly,” Trump said. “The lights of Caracas were largely turned off due to a certain expertise that we have.”

Maduro Headed to New York to Face Charges

Shortly after the operation, Trump posted a photo on social media showing Maduro aboard the USS Iwo Jima, wearing a tracksuit and a blindfold, under U.S. custody. The caption read: “Nicolás Maduro on board the USS Iwo Jima.”

U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi later confirmed that Maduro and Flores will face federal charges in Manhattan, including drug trafficking and weapons-related offenses. Bondi said the couple would “soon face the full force of American justice on American soil.”

Maduro is expected to be transferred to New York, where he will stand trial in federal court.

U.S. Plans for Venezuela’s Future

Trump said the United States will now determine Venezuela’s next steps, stating that Washington will be “very involved” in shaping the country’s future. He also announced plans to authorize major U.S. oil companies to take over Venezuela’s energy infrastructure.

“We’re going to have our very large United States oil companies go in, spend billions of dollars, fix the badly broken oil infrastructure, and start making money for the country,” Trump said.

The president argued that U.S. control is necessary to ensure that any future Venezuelan leadership acts in the interests of the Venezuelan people.

Legal and Political Uncertainty

The operation has raised immediate questions about its legality under both U.S. and international law. The United States does not recognize the jurisdiction of the International Criminal Court, and Trump’s administration maintains that Maduro is not Venezuela’s legitimate leader, accusing him of turning the country into a criminal enterprise linked to drug trafficking and terrorist groups.

Inside Venezuela, uncertainty reigns. Under the country’s constitution, Vice President Delcy Rodríguez would normally assume power, but there was no confirmation that such a transfer had occurred. Venezuela’s foreign minister denounced the U.S. action as an “imperialist attack” on civilian and military installations and urged citizens to take to the streets.

Despite Trump’s statements, journalists on the ground reported no visible signs that U.S. forces had taken control of government institutions in Caracas. The presidential palace and major military bases remained guarded by Venezuelan armed forces.

Regional and Historical Implications

The stunning U.S. action drew comparisons to the 1989 U.S. invasion of Panama, which led to the capture of Panamanian leader Manuel Antonio Noriega—an operation that occurred exactly 36 years ago.

Venezuela’s opposition leader called for the opposition’s candidate to be installed as the country’s new leader, while Maduro’s allies insisted he remains the legitimate president despite his capture.

As diplomatic reactions unfold across Latin America and beyond, Venezuela’s future remains deeply uncertain. Trump’s declaration that the United States will “run” the country represents a profound escalation in U.S. involvement and opens a new, unpredictable chapter in the region’s geopolitical history.