Trump Says the U.S. Will Take a Leading Role Following Changes in Venezuela’s Leadership

Former President Donald Trump said the United States would temporarily oversee Venezuela “until a proper transition can take place.”

Defending what he described as a U.S. military operation carried out on Saturday that, according to his statements, resulted in the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores.

Speaking to reporters from his Mar-a-Lago residence in Florida, Trump framed the situation as a necessary and controlled intervention, emphasizing that any U.S. presence would be transitional rather than permanent. “We’re there now, but we’re going to stay until such time as the proper transition can take place,” Trump said.

He added that the United States would effectively manage the situation on the ground during this interim period, stressing that the objective was stability rather than long-term occupation.

Trump’s remarks followed several hours of intense developments, which he described as dramatic and highly complex. Earlier reports had indicated explosions in Caracas, Venezuela’s capital, though details remained unclear at the time.

According to Trump, the scope of the operation became evident only later, when he publicly stated that Maduro and his wife had been taken into custody during the operation.

In a later interview with Fox & Friends, Trump claimed that Maduro and Flores were being transported by boat to New York, where they would face trial.

No independent confirmation of these claims was provided during the interview, and Trump did not specify the legal framework under which such proceedings would take place. Still, he presented the move as a decisive step following years of U.S. opposition to Maduro’s government.

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