United States President Donald Trump confirmed that the US is going to “run” Venezuela “until such time as we can do a safe, proper and judicious transition.”
Speaking to a press conference after the US launched strikes on Venezuela and captured its President Nicolas Maduro, Trump said no US servicemen were killed in the operation and that the US is “ready” to stage a second “and much larger” attack on the country if needed.
Trump also said the US was “not afraid of boots on the ground” and that the US military had “boots on the ground last night at a very high level”.
“We’re going to make sure that country is run properly,” he added.
United States President Donald Trump confirmed that the US is going to “run” Venezuela “until such time as we can do a safe, proper and judicious transition.”
Speaking to a press conference after the US launched strikes on Venezuela and captured its President Nicolas Maduro, Trump said no US servicemen were killed in the operation and that the US is “ready” to stage a second “and much larger” attack on the country if needed.
Trump also said the US was “not afraid of boots on the ground” and that the US military had “boots on the ground last night at a very high level”.
“We’re going to make sure that country is run properly,” he added.
Asked what mechanism would be used to run Venezuella, Trump said “we’re designating people right now” and “we’re going to let you know who those people are”.
At one point, Trump pointed to Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Secretary of War Pete Hegseth as among those involved in running the country, adding, “it’s largely going to be for a period time the people that are standing right behind me”.
Meanwhile, Rubio told the presser that Maduro is not the legitimate president, pointing out that even the first Trump administration and the Biden administration said the same.
Rubio described the Venezuelan president as a “fugitive of American justice” with a $50m reward, who had “multiple opportunities” to avoid capture but chose instead to “act like a wild man” and “play around”.
According to him, Maduro had decided to “invite Iran into his country” and “flood the US with gang members”.
Framing Trump as a man who does not mince his words, Rubio said Maduro thought nothing would happen, but Trump is “not a game player”.
“When Trump says he is going to address a problem, he actions it,” said the Secretary of State.
Meanwhile, General Caine, who was in attendance, said the US military maintained “totally the element of surprise”, having dismantled and disabled Venezuelan air defence systems.
According to him, forces arrived at Maduro’s compound at 01:01 ET and isolated the area.
On arrival there, the helicopters “came under fire”, and they responded with “overwhelming force”, he says.
“One helicopter was hit but all US aircraft have been able to return home,” he added.
Maduro and his wife then “gave up” and were taken into custody by the Department of Justice, and at 03:29 ET, they boarded the USS Iwo Jima.
Caine referred to the operation as “discreet” and “precise”, and said it required “every component” of the joint forces, including soldiers, sailors, airmen, marines and others “working in unison” with intelligence agencies and law enforcement.
He added that the operation leveraged “unmatched” intelligence capabilities and “years of experience in hunting terrorists”.
Caine said the “extraction” was so precise it required more than 150 aircraft all coming together in the right place and time.
On the preparation work, he said it involved “months” of intelligence work uncovering details about Maduro, including where he lived, what he ate and the pets he had, among others.
THE THIRD FORCE
