President Donald Trump announced Saturday that Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro was taken into custody during a pre‑dawn military operation, declaring that the United States will temporarily administer the country until what he described as a “proper leadership transition” can be established.
Speaking at an ongoing press conference from his Mar‑a‑Lago residence in Florida, Trump said the intervention was necessary to ensure stability in the wake of the operation.
“We are going to run the country until such time as we can do a safe, proper, and judicious transition,” he stated, underscoring the administration’s intention to oversee Venezuela’s political direction in the immediate aftermath of Maduro’s reported capture.
“It has to be judicious,” Trump added. “We can’t take a chance that somebody else takes over Venezuela that doesn’t have the good of the Venezuelan people in mind.”
Further details about the operation and the next steps for Venezuela’s governance are expected to emerge in the coming hours.
