US President Donald Trump, alongside (L/R), CIA Director John Ratcliffe, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, speaks to the press following US military actions in Venezuela, at his Mar-a-Lago residence in Palm Beach, Florida, on January 3, 2025. President Trump said Saturday that US forces had captured Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro after launching a “large scale strike” on the South American country. Photo by Jim WATSON / AFP via Getty Images
President Donald Trump said on Jan. 3 that the United States will run Venezuela until a peaceful transition of power is completed, following the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro by U.S. military forces this morning.
“We’re going to run the country until such time as we can do a safe, proper, and judicious transition. So we don’t want to be involved with having somebody else get in,” Trump said in a press conference.
