He stood there at the Mar-a-Lago lectern, flanked by Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, and basically dropped a geopolitical bombshell. On January 3, 2026, the world found out that the U.S. military had actually done it—they captured Nicolás Maduro.
It wasn't just a speech. It was a victory lap.
President Donald Trump looked exactly how you’d expect him to look after a high-stakes gamble paid off. The atmosphere was part military briefing, part high-octane rally. He called the mission, titled Operation Absolute Resolve, one of the most "stunning, effective, and powerful displays" of military might in the history of the country. And honestly? Even his critics were left momentarily speechless by the sheer scale of the overnight extraction in Caracas.
The Mar-a-Lago Reveal: Operation Absolute Resolve
What happened at Trump's press conference was the confirmation of months of whispers. Trump detailed how more than 150 aircraft coordinated across the Western Hemisphere to provide cover for a ground force that moved into the heart of a fortified military fortress.
The most jarring detail? Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, were already in custody on the USS Iwo Jima. Trump even posted a photo of a blindfolded, handcuffed Maduro before he walked out to talk to the press.
Secretary of War Pete Hegseth didn't mince words either. He told the room that Maduro "F’d around and found out," a phrase that immediately went viral. It signaled a massive shift in how the 2026 administration is handling "outlaw dictators." They aren't just using sanctions anymore. They are using boots on the ground.
Who is Running Venezuela Now?
People were scrambling to figure out if this meant a full-scale occupation. Trump’s answer was sorta "yes" and "no." He said the U.S. will "oversee" the country until a legitimate replacement is found.
- Delcy Rodriguez: She was sworn in as acting president, and Marco Rubio is already talking to her.
- The "Greatest Oil Companies": Trump wants them to go in, invest billions, and "reimburse" the U.S. for the cost of the mission.
- No U.S. Casualties: The Pentagon confirmed the extraction happened with zero American lives lost.
There's a lot of talk about Maria Corina Machado, the opposition leader who recently met with Trump and even offered him her Nobel Peace Prize. But during the press conference, Trump was non-committal. He mentioned that Rodriguez seemed "willing to do what we think is necessary to make Venezuela great again."
The Economic Side of the Podium
While the Venezuela news took the headlines, Trump used the moment to pivot to his "Liberation Day" tariffs. He’s pushing a 25% tariff on advanced computing chips, specifically targeting the NVIDIA H200 and AMD MI325X.
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He wants to build "world-class industrial parks" on U.S. soil. Basically, he’s telling the tech world that if they want to sell in America, they have to manufacture in America. It’s a protectionist play that he’s doubling down on for 2026, regardless of how much it rattles the Nasdaq.
Addressing the "Blinking" Controversy
He also took a weirdly personal turn during a later gaggle. He defended his health, specifically addressing photos where he looks like he’s sleeping in meetings. "I'll just close [my eyes]. It's very relaxing to me," he said. He claims he’s just "blinking" and that the cameras catch him at the wrong millisecond.
He also admitted to taking 325mg of aspirin daily because he’s "a little superstitious" about his heart health. He wants "nice, thin blood." It was one of those classic Trump tangents—mixing life-or-death military news with a 5-minute monologue about blood viscosity and "good genetics."
Why This Presser Changed Everything
Before this, the administration was struggling with the "Gaza Board of Peace" and the stalemate in Ukraine. This capture gave him a massive win to show his base. He’s proving that he can project power without starting a "forever war," at least in his view.
If you're following the 2026 political cycle, here are the things you need to watch:
- Sanctuary City Funding: He’s threatening to cut off all federal payments to states with sanctuary cities starting February 1.
- Whole Milk for Healthy Kids Act: He just signed this, bringing full-fat milk back to schools.
- Gaza Governance: Watch for the names on his "Greatest and Most Prestigious Board" that will run Gaza affairs.
The capture of Maduro isn't the end of the story; it's the start of a massive U.S. experiment in "running" a foreign government like a business. Whether the "oil reimbursement" plan actually works or leads to a regional crisis is the $50 billion question. For now, the administration is riding a wave of military success that has completely reset the 2026 news cycle.