President Donald Trump revealed key details of the US military assault on Venezuela during a press conference on Saturday.
From Mar-a-Lago in Florida, Trump addressed the operation, including the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, who have been indicted by a US federal court.
Here’s what Trump said about the mission, the capture of the Venezuelan leader, and what comes next.
US forces raided “a heavily fortified military fortress” in Caracas to capture Maduro
Trump called the operation against Venezuelan leadership, which occurred overnight and into the early morning, “an extraordinary military operation” involving the use of assets and weapons across air, land, and sea domains. Other officials revealed that intelligence, space, and cyber assets were involved as well.
During the press conference, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Dan Caine said the apprehension mission, called Absolute Resolve, involved over 150 aircraft, including fighter jets, bombers, electronic warfare planes, intelligence and surveillance aircraft, helicopters, and drones.
Some assets disabled Venezuelan defenses and provided cover, while others were involved in infiltration and extraction.
The US president said that the assault targeted “a heavily fortified military fortress in the heart of Caracas,” where Maduro was captured during the night. He added that the US used “certain expertise” to turn off the lights in Caracas and that the Venezuelan military was overwhelmed by US forces.
Luis JAIMES / AFP
No US military personnel were killed, and no weapons or equipment were lost
At the press conference, Trump said that there were no deaths among US forces involved in the attack and that none of the assets used during the operation were lost.
He told Fox & Friends Weekend earlier that an American helicopter was hit “pretty hard” during the attack but didn’t elaborate on the severity of the damage or any injuries. Caine confirmed the hit but said the aircraft remained flyable.
“This was one of the most stunning, effective, and powerful displays of American military might and competence in American history,” Trump said during the presser. He compared it to the assassination of Qasem Soleimani, a senior Iranian military officer, in a US drone strike in January 2020 and other military operations.
The US “is going to run” Venezuela until an election can be held
Among the most important discussion points of the president’s press conference is that the US will run Venezuela “until such time as we can do a safe, proper, and judicious transition.”
Exactly how the Trump administration plans to do this, and for how long, remains unknown. By law, Maduro’s vice president, Delcy Rodríguez, should assume power. Trump added that Rodríguez “really doesn’t have a choice” but to accept US involvement.
When speaking on who would be in charge of this plan, Trump pointed to the officials standing behind him at the conference, including Stephen Miller, the White House deputy chief of staff for policy and homeland security advisor, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and Caine.
Jim WATSON / AFP
US oil companies are headed to Venezuela
Additionally, Trump said, the biggest US oil companies will be going to Venezuela to “spend billions of dollars, fix the badly broken infrastructure, the oil infrastructure, and start making money for the country.”
Venezuela is home to the world’s largest proven crude oil reserves. The US has been seizing and blockading oil tankers in recent months as part of the escalating tension between Maduro and the Trump administration. Trump has said the US built Venezuela’s oil industry and intends to take it back, accusing Caracas of using the money to fund narco-terrorism and other criminal activities.
The US is ready for a second round of attacks if needed
During the conference, Trump said the US was ready to conduct a second attack, “a much bigger wave,” on Venezuela if needed.
“We actually assumed that a second wave would be necessary, but now it’s probably not,” the president said, pointing to the success of the first attack.
