IN A WIDE-RANGING briefing alongside top administration officials, President Donald Trump on Saturday detailed a sweeping U.S. military operation in Venezuela while outlining an ambitious and uncharted plan for the nation’s future, declaring that the endeavor would cost American taxpayers “nothing” due to the country’s vast petroleum reserves.
The Reuters Visual Verification Team said the image appeared to be taken from a printed photograph, as white edging can be seen around the image.
What appears to be the letters “DEA” can be seen on a black uniformed person next to Venezuelan president Maduro, and Trump said Drug Enforcement Administration officials were involved in the operation.
Verifying the location was not immediately possible as the photograph is tightly cropped, but the grey hairs in Maduro’s mustache matched recent imagery of him.
Trump, speaking at his Mar-a-Lago estate with Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Dan Caine, hailed the success of “Operation Absolute Resolve.”
The pre-dawn mission, he said, culminated in the apprehension of ‘indicted’ Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro, whom the U.S. has long considered an illegitimate ruler and a fugitive from American justice.
“I will never allow terrorists and criminals to operate with impunity against the United States,” President Trump stated. “This extremely successful operation should serve as a warning to anyone who would threaten American sovereignty or endanger American lives,” Trump alleged, without presenting evidence, that the Maduro regime had hosted foreign adversaries and acquired “menacing offensive weapons,” while also linking Venezuelan criminal groups to violence in American cities.
Operational Details
General Caine provided operational specifics, describing a complex, hemisphere-spanning action involving more than 150 aircraft, including advanced fighter jets and bombers.
“We arrived at Maduro’s compound at 1:01 a.m. Eastern Standard Time,” Caine said, noting the operation was “the culmination of months of planning and rehearsal.”
Vague Assurances, Clear on Oil
Yet, the extraordinary military action was overshadowed by uncertain and controversial pronouncements regarding Venezuela’s political and economic future.
When pressed repeatedly by reporters on how the U.S. intends to administer a country where its forces hold no broad territorial control and Maduro’s government structure ostensibly remains, the President offered vague assurances.
“We’re going to be running it with a group and we’re going to make sure it’s run properly,” Trump said, adding that designations were underway.
He was emphatic, however, on the financial mechanics. “Well, you know, it won’t cost us anything because the money coming out of the ground is very substantial,” he said, referencing Venezuela’s oil wealth.
“The oil companies are going to go in, they’re going to spend money there. Then we’re going to take back the oil that, frankly, we should have taken back a long time ago,” Trump said.
He framed this approach as integral to his “America First” doctrine. “We want to surround ourselves with good neighbors… with stability… with energy. We have tremendous energy in that country, it’s very important that we protect it,” Trump explained. On global oil markets, he was blunt: “We’re in the oil business, we’re going to sell it to ‘em.”
Secretary Rubio reinforced the administration’s stance on Maduro’s illegitimacy, noting the leader’s U.S. indictment and a $50 million reward for his capture. “I guess we saved $50 million,” Rubio remarked. The President interjected, “Don’t let anybody claim it. Nobody deserves it but us.”
Veiled Threats on Cuba, Others
The briefing also revealed escalating regional tensions. When asked about Cuba, Trump called it a “failing nation” and suggested it would be a future topic. Rubio was more pointed: “Look, if I lived in Havana and I was in the government, I’d be concerned, at least a little bit.”
Trump also reignited a diplomatic feud with Colombian President, Gustavo Petro, repeating unsubstantiated claims about cocaine production. “He has cocaine mills… he does have to watch his ass,” Trump said, dismissing Petro’s prior invitation to cooperate with a warning against threatening Colombian sovereignty.
While the administration presented a unified front on the operation’s tactical execution, the path forward for Venezuela remains deeply opaque.
President Trump’s vision of a self-financing, U.S.-supervised administration, funded by reclaimed oil revenues, presents profound legal, economic, and geopolitical questions for which officials provided no concrete framework.
As General Caine cautioned, “There is always a chance that we’ll be tasked to do this type of mission again,” suggesting the unfolding situation remains volatile and far from resolved.
