U.S. will run Venezuela after military seized Maduro, President Trump says

Summary

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Podcast Summary

Consider This from NPR

Episode Date: January 3, 2026
Main Theme:
The episode breaks down the unprecedented U.S. military operation that saw Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife captured and extradited to the U.S., with President Trump declaring that the United States will run Venezuela until an as-yet-unspecified transition. NPR’s Mary Louise Kelly, with national security correspondents Tom Bowman and Greg Myre, unpacks how the operation unfolded, the legal and political fallout, and what comes next for Venezuela and U.S. foreign policy.

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Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Operation “Absolute Resolve”: The Capture of Maduro

• How it Happened
  • President Trump ordered the operation at 11pm; it began at 1am Eastern.
  • U.S. airstrikes took out Venezuelan air defenses, followed by a Delta Force raid on Maduro’s home by helicopter.
  • Maduro and his wife, Celia Flores, were seized with minimal resistance and flown out to the USS Iwo Jima, then extradited to New York.
  • The operation involved 150 aircraft (F-35s, B-1 bombers, drones, surveillance), and no U.S. casualties were reported.
  • [03:07] Tom Bowman:

    “Trump gave the order last night around 11. The operation called Absolute Resolve started around 1am Eastern Time…Delta Force. They went into the house and Maduro tried to flee through the steel door into a safe room…No US casualties and no word yet…on Venezuelan casualties. It was all over in about two and a half hours.”

• Intelligence Gathering
  • Months of surveillance tracked Maduro’s movements. CIA operatives were reportedly on the ground, with support from NSA (for communications) and the National Geospatial Agency (for satellite imagery).
  • [04:35] Tom Bowman:

    “…the CIA was on the ground…General Kaine mounted what's called a pattern of life for some time…NSA was involved…intercepting communications…National Geospatial Agency…satellites…very complete picture of where he was and what he was doing around the clock.”

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2. The Legality and Precedent of the Operation

• Questions Raised by Congress
  • Democratic lawmakers immediately questioned the legality of seizing a sovereign leader without congressional authorization, citing constitutional concerns and an “abuse of power.”
  • The Trump administration portrayed the raid as an arrest related to an existing U.S. indictment on drug trafficking, not an act of war.
  • [05:59] Greg Myre:

    “You certainly have a lot of folks saying no, especially Democrats in Congress…Trump's action is an illegal escalation…trampling the Constitution…Trump's team is trying to portray this as a military action which was part of a law enforcement operation.”

• Implications
  • This marks a new precedent: direct military intervention and ouster of a foreign leader for extradition on criminal charges.
  • The line between law enforcement and military action is blurred, raising potential international backlash.

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3. U.S. Declaration: “We Are Going to Run the Country”

• Administration’s Stance and Questions about Governance
  • Trump and officials stated the U.S. will run Venezuela for an “indefinite” period until a “safe, proper, and judicious transition.”
  • [02:31] Tom Bowman quoting Trump:

    “We’re going to run the country until such time as we can do a…”
    [02:35] Greg Myre continues:
    “…safe, proper and judicious transition.”

• Uncertainties and Challenges
  • The U.S. lacks current diplomatic infrastructure in Venezuela (embassy closed since 2019), and no U.S. troops are stationed there yet.
  • Major logistical and political hurdles to establishing control and legitimacy.

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4. Venezuelan Public and Military Reaction

• Venezuelan Society’s Perspective
  • The country’s economy is collapsed, with public sentiment divided:
    • Some pleased to see Maduro gone after allegedly rigged 2024 elections.
    • Others, loyal to Maduro, depend on state benefits.
  • [08:09] Greg Myre:

    “It’s why it’s so risky and uncertain…certainly a lot of Venezuelans who are probably very happy to see him go. But he had his supporters…”

• Military Reaction
  • No statements from Venezuelan military leaders or vice president so far.
  • Possibility of splintering or guerrilla resistance from pro-Maduro elements.
  • [08:58] Tom Bowman:

    “We haven’t heard from any Venezuelan military leaders…Will they stand down? Could the army splinter? Could you have some sort of guerrilla force within the military working on behalf of Maduro and his supporters?”

  • The security situation is “very tense” and fluid.

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5. Economic Stakes: Rebuilding Venezuela’s Oil Sector

• Oil Infrastructure and U.S. Involvement
  • Venezuela’s oil infrastructure is degraded; production has dropped from 3 million to 1 million barrels per day over 25 years.
  • U.S. may deploy troops to protect and rebuild oil facilities—would require a substantial, ongoing presence.
  • [09:48] Greg Myre:

    “It certainly could [help], but it just seems like a long term process. The infrastructure has just degraded over time. It will need huge investments…that doesn’t happen overnight. That is a multi year process.”

  • [10:19] Tom Bowman:

    “Trump said there could be a US Military presence as they rebuild these oil facilities. Well, how many troops will that require? It's going to be a lot more than a small Delta Force unit…”

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Notable Quotes

• [02:49] Mary Louise Kelly:

  “Just stunning to hear those words. We are going to run the country.”

• [05:59] Greg Myre:

  “You certainly have a lot of folks saying no, especially Democrats in Congress…The Democrats say Congress needs to authorize war and the use of military force. And we've seen this stream of statements today from Democrats saying things like, Trump's action is an illegal escalation. He's trampling the Constitution. It's an abuse of power.”

• [08:09] Greg Myre:

  “…it doesn't automatically mean that most or all Venezuelans are going to be supporting a new government.”

• [09:48] Greg Myre:

  “The infrastructure has just degraded over time. It will need huge investments…that doesn’t happen overnight.”

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Timestamps for Important Segments

• Seizure and Extraction of Maduro: [03:07] – [04:23]
• U.S. Intelligence & Planning: [04:23] – [05:37]
• Legality and Political Fallout: [05:37] – [06:49]
• US-in-control Statement & Governance Questions: [06:49] – [08:00]
• Venezuelan and Military Reaction: [08:00] – [09:32]
• Economic Stakes & Oil Infrastructure: [09:32] – [10:35]

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Memorable Moments

• The shock of an American president declaring direct governance over another country:
  [02:49] Mary Louise Kelly: “Just stunning to hear those words. We are going to run the country.”
• Clear articulation of the unsettled and unpredictable situation on the ground:
  [08:58] Tom Bowman: “We haven’t heard from any Venezuelan military leaders…Will they stand down? Could the army splinter? Could you have some sort of guerrilla force within the military working on behalf of Maduro and his supporters?”

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Conclusion

This episode delivers a rapid, incisive breakdown of an extraordinary U.S. operation with potentially massive global ramifications. The NPR team illuminates how military force, international law, domestic politics, and the uncertain future of Venezuela all collide in the wake of the operation—posing urgent questions for American foreign policy and Venezuelan stability.

For further updates, the hosts direct listeners to NPR’s “Sources and Methods” and regular NPR programming.

Transcript

[Mary Louise Kelly]

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife are in US Custody. The couple was seized in an aggressive US Military operation that began in the early morning hours of January 3rd. It took American forces just over two hours, 150 aircraft and the dismantling of Venezuela's air defenses. So how did this happen and what happens next? We broke all this down on NPR's National Security Podcast, Sources and Methods, and we're going to share that episode in today's feed. It's Consider this from npr. I'm Mary Louise Kelley.

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[Mary Louise Kelly]

It's Consider this from npr. After months of threats, months of warnings, seizing of alleged drug boats targeting oil tankers, tensions between the United States and Venezuela have now come to this. Overnight, President Trump ordered American forces to enter Venezuela and capture leader Nicolas Maduro and his wife, Celia Flores. The two are now being extradited to New York where they will face charges related to alleged drug trafficking and narco terrorism conspiracies. Meanwhile, President Trump this morning said this.

[Tom Bowman]

We'Re going to run the country until such time as we can do a.

[Greg Myre]

Safe, proper and judicious transition.

[Tom Bowman]

So we don't want to be involved.

[Greg Myre]

With having somebody else get in. And we have the same situation that we had for the last long period of years.

[Mary Louise Kelly]

Just stunning to hear those words. We are going to run the country Here to help me try to make sense. Vic Greg Myri, who covers national security. Hey, Greg.

[Greg Myre]

Hi, Mary Louise.

[Mary Louise Kelly]

And Pentagon correspondent Tom Bowman. Hey, Tom.

[Tom Bowman]

Hey, Mary Louise.

[Mary Louise Kelly]

Tom, you start with what we know. How did all this unfold?

[Tom Bowman]

Well, Trump gave the order last night around 11. The operation called Absolute Resolve started around 1am Eastern Time. You U.S. airstrikes took out Venezuelan air defenses. You know, those were likely explosions we could see from local videos. And then a US Special operations unit arrived at Maduro's house by helicopter, flying just 100ft above the ground.

[Mary Louise Kelly]

This was Delta Force.

[Tom Bowman]

It was Delta Force. They went into the house and Maduro tried to flee through the steel door into a safe room. Both he and his wife were taken. No sense of any gunfire until the helicopters were leaving and one took some fire, but officials said it was flyable. A few skirmishes as the helicopters were leaving and they engaged in defensive fire. No US casualties and no word yet, Mary Louise, on Venezuelan casualties. It was all over in about two and a half hours. Maduro and his wife were taken by helicopter to the USS Iwo Jima. And then they're now in New York where an indictment is charging them along with Maduro's son and two officials with narco trafficking. This was a huge, huge operation. 150 aircraft, everything from F35s to B1 bombers to drones to surveillance aircraft. And officials said it was done with complete surprise.

[Mary Louise Kelly]

Yeah, that's one follow up on that, the complete surprise element because there have been all these questions about US intelligence and how good it was, how much we knew about Maduro's movements. Do we know how they found him?

[Tom Bowman]

Well, Joint Chiefs Chairman General Dan Kaine said they knew his location, likely through intelligence sources. And Trump had already said a few weeks ago the CIA was on the ground. So General Kaine mounted what's called a pattern of life for some time. He said, we knew how he moved, lived, traveled, ate. So they were watching him steadily. And Kaine said the National Security Agency was involved. So they were intercepting communications, phone calls. And he also said the National Geospatial Agency was involved as well, which provides photos from its satellite. So they likely had a very complete picture of where he was and what he was doing around the clock. Now we're told the US has been planning and training for this operation for months and it included building a mock up, a model of Maduro's home. And as you know, Mary Louise, coming to intel, this is common for operations like this. The Navy Seal Team 6 did something similar before they assaulted Osama bin Laden's compound back in Pakistan.

[Mary Louise Kelly]

And I have seen that model. The former CIA director Bill Burns used to keep it in his office on the seventh floor at headquarters at Langley. Greg Myrey, just to sum up here we have an American president President Trump, who has sent troops to another country, a sovereign country, arrested its leader, spirited him out of the country. Is this legal?

[Greg Myre]

Well, you certainly have a lot of folks saying no, especially Democrats in Congress. The Democrats say Congress needs to authorize war and the use of military for. And we've seen this stream of statements today from Democrats saying things like, Trump's action is an illegal escalation. He's trampling the Constitution. It's an abuse of power. Now, Trump's team is trying to portray this as a military action which was part of a law enforcement operation. Maduro was indicted in 2020 on drug trafficking and other charges.

[Mary Louise Kelly]

They updated that indictment today.

[Greg Myre]

Yeah, exactly. And this was just an effort to bring him to justice in the U.S. but obviously, this is much large than just a legal case. A foreign leader has been ousted. And as we've noted, Trump says the US Will be in charge of the country for some indefinite time.

[Mary Louise Kelly]

Yeah, that tees up my next question, which is, how is that going to work, the US Running Venezuela for some indefinite period of time?

[Greg Myre]

Yeah, very unclear at this point. Now, Trump said it would be done with some of those standing with him at the news conference. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Pentagon Chief Hegseth, working in coordination with the leaders or people in Venezuela. Now, Trump does have this reputation of declaring victory and then moving on in other sorts of endeavors, but he did acknowledge rebuilding Venezuela would be a challenge. He said, you know, if the US Just left, there would be zero chance of it coming back. And so Trump has been, you know, much more aggressive with the military in this term by sending in. Sending troops always seemed to be a red line, but this time, it didn't seem to bother him. As we've noted, he said, I'm not afraid to put boots on the ground. We don't mind saying it. That's what we need. But, you know, the troops aren't there right now, and the US doesn't have diplomats there. The US embassy's been closed since 2019.

[Mary Louise Kelly]

Since Trump's first term.

[Greg Myre]

So how is the US going to run a country when it really doesn't have a presence, at least at the moment?

[Mary Louise Kelly]

What about the question of how actual Venezuelans feel about this? Are they likely to welcome US Boots on the ground, whatever that may end up looking like?

[Greg Myre]

Yeah, that seems a question that's almost impossible, possible to answer clearly. And it's why it's so risky and it's so uncertain. You know, the country is in terrible shape. The economy has effectively collapsed. They had a presidential election in 2024, voters appeared, according to independent monitors, to overwhelmingly go against Maduro and his party vote against him. They say he rigged the election. So there are certainly a lot of Venezuelans who are probably very happy to see him go. But he had his supporters. He has a lot of people who depended on him for their benefits. What will the military do? So it doesn't automatically mean that most or all Venezuelans are going to be supporting a new government.

[Tom Bowman]

And Mayor Louise, if I could just add, please, trump said, and others have said that the Venezuelan vice president, Delsey Rodriguez, would cooperate with the US but we haven't heard from her, really. And then more importantly, we have not heard from any Venezuelan military leaders. Now what will they do? Will they stand down? Could the army splinter? Could you have some sort of guerrilla force within the military working on behalf of Maduro and his supporters? We're in a very tense situation. It has just started. We have no idea what the security situation will look like in Venezuela in the coming days and weeks.

[Mary Louise Kelly]

Yeah, all excellent questions, Greg, just a quick one to you. This is not a quick question, but if you can answer it quickly, Oil. Venezuela is broke. Oil is its one big valuable industry. What does this look like to have the US Going in? Does that help Venezuela get back on its feet?

[Greg Myre]

Well, it certainly could, but it just seems like a long term process. The infrastructure has just degraded over time. It will need huge investments. This is a difficult thing to do. It's gone from about 3 million barrels a day a quarter century ago to a million barrels a day. So if it could restore that level of production, yeah, the country would have some money, it would have some income. It wouldn't necessarily guarantee prosperity for everybody, but it could be a big help. But that doesn't happen overnight. That is a multi year process.

[Tom Bowman]

And it's also important to note that Trump said there could be a US Military presence as they rebuild these oil facilities. Well, how many troops will that require? It's going to be a lot more than a small Delta Force unit to accomplish that in the coming days and weeks.

[Mary Louise Kelly]

That's NPR Pentagon correspondent Tom Bowman and national security correspondent Greg Myhrey. That was an excerpt of NPR's weekly National Security podcast, Sources and Methods. Now if you liked what you heard, you can subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. For our regular Thursday episodes. To follow the latest on the US Operation in Venezuela, tune in to consider this sources and methods. Turn on your radio or go to npr.org this episode was produced by Avery Keatley and Karen Zamora it was edited by Andrew Sussman and Courtney Dorning. Our executive producer is Sammy Yenigun. It's consider this from npr. I'm mary louise kelly.

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