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Published on
Saturday, January 3, 2026
By the A.M. Costa Rica staff
“My
government declared from the beginning that
Maduro committed electoral fraud; therefore,
he was never a legitimate president and must
now answer for his crimes in Venezuela and
abroad,” Chaves said in a post on social
media. “May God bless the brave Venezuelan
people and help them recover the democracy
and rule of law that the deposed dictator
Maduro stole from them. Let us celebrate
this new opportunity for our Venezuelan
brothers and sisters.”
U.S.
President Donald Trump said Saturday morning
that the United States would oversee
Venezuela until what he described as a
“proper transition” to democracy takes
place. Speaking at his Mar-a-Lago club in
Palm Beach, Florida, Trump defended the
military operation that resulted in the
capture of Maduro and Flores.
“We’re there now, and we’re going to stay until such time as a proper transition can take place,” Trump said. “We’re going to run it, essentially, until that happens.”
Trump
did not outline specific next steps for
regime change but warned Venezuelan
officials who might remain loyal to Maduro.
“If
they stay loyal, the future is really
bad for them,” Trump
said. “If they convert, there’s a conversion
factor. I would say most of them have
converted. He’s had very little loyalty.”
According
to the
U.S. National Public Radio (NPR) Journal,
Trump told Fox News Channel that he watched
the operation unfold in real time,
describing it as “extremely complex.”
Trump said some U.S. personnel were injured during the operation but reported no fatalities. He also said power was cut in parts of Caracas during the overnight operation, crediting U.S. forces for their execution of the mission.
“No nation in the world could achieve what America achieved yesterday,” Trump said. “All Venezuelan military capacities were rendered powerless as our military and law enforcement successfully captured Maduro in the dead of night.” The remarks followed hours of confusion that began with reports of explosions in Caracas. The full scope of the operation became clear when Maduro and his wife were transported by a U.S. vessel and flown to New York, where they are expected to stand trial. Trump said U.S. oil companies would be allowed to operate in Venezuela’s oil sector and warned that additional military action could follow if necessary. “We’re going to have our largest oil companies go in, spend billions of dollars, fix the badly broken infrastructure, and start making money for the country,” he said. “We are ready to stage a second and much larger attack if we need to.” Later Saturday, U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi said Maduro and Flores would face charges in New York following a new indictment. In a social media post, Bondi said the couple would “soon face the full wrath of American justice on American soil.” Maduro and several other Venezuelan officials were first indicted in the United States in 2020 on charges related to an alleged narco-terrorism conspiracy. The Justice Department said a new indictment was unsealed Saturday, expanding the case to include Flores. Maduro, 63, has served as Venezuela’s president since 2013. He previously served as vice president under Hugo Chávez and as foreign minister. Trump announced at 4:21 a.m. ET that Maduro and his wife had been captured and removed from the country.
---------------- What other country in the region should pursue a peaceful transition from dictatorship to democracy in the Americas? We would like to know your thoughts on this story. Send your comments to news@amcostarica.com
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