Nicolas Maduro, Venezuela's illegitimate leader, is now in custody in New York awaiting his first personal appearance in a US court after US special forces recovered him in an early morning raid in Venezuela on Saturday. Maduro and his wife Celia Flores were also indicted on a number of charges in the Southern District of New York.
President Trump, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Secretary of War Pete Hegseth spoke to the media Saturday morning about the daring operation that captured Maduros, RedState previously reported.
Here are some of the images released by the White House during the real-time operation:
NEW: The White House releases photos of President Trump and his national security team observing the Venezuelan mission from Mar-a-Lago. pic.twitter.com/kCyPXGZGGJ
— Fox News (@FoxNews) January 3, 2026
More in a minute about the rumors people have been whispering about who is and isn't in these pictures.
As I wrote earlier, one of the leading voices of opposition to Maduro's dictatorial regime, Maria Corina Machado, issued a statement on Saturday after news of Maduro's capture and evacuation broke, saying she had a preference for who would immediately assume the presidency of Venezuela.
However, who will lead the country in the long term remains in question.
READ MORE: Venezuela promises to change the geopolitical game if Trump can turn triumph into victory
The left in our country, however, did not take it very well, suffering much of a mass crisis, including the newly sworn-in mayor of New York, the dromocratic socialist Zohran Mamdani, who quickly called the US President about it. This was followed by revealing posts from congressional Democrats who bemoaned the move as “illegal” and a “war” not authorized by Congress.
READ: New York's socialist mayor Mamdani is outraged by Maduro's takeover and is quickly recruiting Trump
Hot take: Trump's middle-of-the-night surgery gave Democrats heartburn
However, Vice President J.D. Vance has bad news for them. First, responding to immediate reporting on Venezuela, he said the administration had given the alleged drug trafficker and despot “a few breaks” and then praised the US military for its efficient work:
The President offered several options for dealing with this situation, but throughout the entire process he was crystal clear: drug trafficking must stop and the stolen oil must be returned to the United States. Maduro is the latest person to know that President Trump means what he says.
Glory to our brave… pic.twitter.com/b1fqkdbB4x
— J.D. Vance (@JDVance) January 3, 2026
The message continued: “Kudos to our brave special operators who carried out a truly impressive operation.”
Vance addressed any of the Democrats who were at odds on the issue and added a timely PSA (public service announcement):
And a PSA for everyone who says this is “illegal”:
Maduro faces several charges in the United States of narco-terrorism. You can't escape justice for drug trafficking in the United States because you live in a palace in Caracas.
— J.D. Vance (@JDVance) January 3, 2026
Boom. In addition, if they have any further questions, AG Bondi will help them. total expenses for them to inspect.
Some on social media wondered why the vice president was not pictured in the war room or at the presidential news conference. Now there is an explanation in accordance with Fox News White House correspondent Aisha Hasney:
VANCE's vice president met with TRUMP Friday afternoon in West Palm Beach to discuss the strikes. He was not physically at Mar-a-Lago during the strikes, but joined them via secure video link.
Returned to Cincinnati after completion of the operation.
The White House is “trying to limit the presence of the US president and vice president together when they are away from the White House due to growing security concerns,” Fox News reported.
In the meantime, Rubio may be increasing his workload:
Rubio understands that he will become the President of Venezuela, the Governor of Cuba and the Shah of Iran. pic.twitter.com/wh5S2gpIi9
— Antonio Garcia Martinez (agm.eth) (@antoniogm) January 3, 2026
[Editor's Note: This article was edited for clarity post-publication.]
Editor's Note: Thanks to President Trump and the bold leadership of his administration, we are respected on the world stage and our enemies are being highlighted.
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