Trump Announces U.S. Will 'Run' Venezuela After Unauthorized Military Incursion and Maduro Arrest

Following a January 3, 2026 unauthorized military operation in which U.S. forces bombed Caracas and other Venezuelan cities and arrested President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Trump announced on January 14 that the U.S. would "run" Venezuela until a "safe, proper, and judicious transition" could be ensured. The military action, conducted without congressional authorization, violated the Constitution's grant of war powers to Congress and international law. Trump claimed Vice President Delcy Rodríguez agreed to support the U.S. Legal experts and critics condemned the operation as the most direct U.S. military intervention in Latin America since the 1989 Panama invasion, with analysts suggesting oil resources rather than stated concerns about drug trafficking or democracy were the primary motivation.

"The US would "run" Venezuela until a "safe, proper, and judicious transition" can be ensured" — Trump's announcement following the unauthorized military operation that arrested President Maduro