US Will Run Venezuela After Maduro Seized: Trump

Venezuelan toppled leader Nicolas Maduro was held at a New York detention center on Sunday, facing drug-related charges after U.S. President Donald Trump orchestrated a high-profile operation to capture him. Trump declared that the U.S. would “run the country until such time as we can do a safe, proper and judicious transition,” signaling unprecedented American intervention in the oil-rich nation.

The 63-year-old Maduro, blindfolded and handcuffed, was flown to the U.S., marking Washington’s most controversial Latin American action since the 1989 Panama invasion. Upon arrival, Maduro reportedly wished his captors a “Happy New Year” and is set to appear in Manhattan federal court on Monday.

While Trump claimed that U.S. management of Venezuela is temporary, details on governance remain vague. Maduro’s allies in Caracas have condemned the raid as a “kidnapping,” and opposition leader Maria Corina Machado was sidelined from assuming leadership despite her Nobel Peace Prize credentials. Maduro’s removal has been celebrated by members of the Venezuelan diaspora, who have long fled the nation’s economic collapse.

U.S. forces reportedly conducted strikes on military installations across Caracas before seizing Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, under cover of darkness. Trump emphasized that major U.S. oil companies would restore Venezuela’s degraded oil infrastructure, claiming the intervention “won’t cost us a penny” as revenues would be drawn from natural resources.

Global reactions have been sharply critical. The U.N. Security Council called an emergency meeting, Secretary-General António Guterres described the move as a “dangerous precedent,” and countries including China, Russia, and North Korea condemned the action. Pope Leo urged respect for Venezuela’s independence, stating, “The good of the beloved Venezuelan people must prevail over every other consideration.”

Trump’s assertive foreign policy move risks alienating some supporters who favor his “America First” agenda, highlighting the contentious debate over potential U.S. occupation and its long-term consequences.