Venezuelan officials condemn Maduro’s capture, calling it a “kidnapping”
Hours after Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro was captured by U.S. forces, the country’s vice president and other top regime figures condemned the military operation in stark terms and suggested they plan to push back on U.S. involvement in the country, posing a potential challenge to President Trump’s suggestion that the U.S. will “run” Venezuela.
Maduro was flown out of the country in a “large scale strike” by U.S. forces, Mr. Trump said early Saturday. He is expected to be tried on drug trafficking charges, effectively ending a nearly 13-year reign that began after the death of President Hugo Chavez. The operation followed months of U.S. military, economic and diplomatic pressure on the Maduro regime.
Top figures in Maduro’s government pushed back against the U.S. operation almost immediately after it began early Saturday morning.
VP Delcy Rodriguez calls Maduro the “only president of Venezuela”
Maduro’s handpicked vice president, Delcy Rodriguez — whom Mr. Trump said was sworn in as president Saturday — called Maduro’s capture “barbaric,” an “illegal and illegitimate kidnapping” and an attack on Venezuela’s sovereignty in a speech that was broadcast on state TV.
She also called for the “immediate release” of Maduro and his wife, calling him “the only president of Venezuela.”
Rodriguez’s defiant words came as Mr. Trump suggested he’s looking to work with the vice president in some form. In a press conference Saturday at Mar-a-Lago, the U.S. president said Secretary of State Marco Rubio spoke with Rodriguez, who indicated that “she’s essentially willing to do what we think is necessary to make Venezuela great again.”
Mr. Trump called Rodriguez “quite gracious” but said “she really doesn’t have a choice.”
The American leader said the U.S. is planning to “run the country until such time as we can do a safe, proper and judicious transition.” It’s not clear exactly how the country will be led, or to what extent existing Venezuelan officials or political figures would be involved. Mr. Trump said “we’re designating various people” and suggested members of his administration will play key roles.
Rodriguez said Saturday that the Venezuelan government is open to “dialogue,” pointing to Maduro’s statement earlier this week that he’s willing to negotiate with the U.S. on drug trafficking. But she did not offer any clear indications that she’s looking to work with the U.S. if it takes over, accusing Venezuela’s “enemies” of seeking to “enslave us.”
“If there is one thing that the Venezuelan people and this country are very clear about, it is that we will never again be slaves, that we will never again be a colony of any empire, of whatever stripe,” Rodriguez said in her address on state television.
Venezuelan leaders call for military to mobilize against “aggression”
Shortly after the U.S. operation began, the Venezuelan government said in a statement that national defense plans had been activated and Maduro ordered a “State of External Disturbance,” effectively a state of emergency.
Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino López announced that military forces would be deployed across Venezuela on “Maduro’s orders” — though he didn’t mention Maduro’s capture — and called for resistance against “the worst aggression” Venezuela has faced.
“They’ve attacked us but they will not subdue us,” he said.
Meanwhile, Venezuelan Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello called for “calm” in a video translated by Reuters, saying, “No one should fall into despair, no one should make things easier to our invading enemy.”
Attorney General Tarek William Saab called the U.S. operation a “vile and cowardly attack” in remarks to Venezuelan state media, alleging that some innocent people were “mortally wounded.”
Venezuelan diplomats have also requested an emergency meeting of the United Nations Security Council, sending a letter to the body asking it to condemn the U.S.’s “aggression.” Foreign Minister Yvan Gil accused the U.S. of seeking to take Venezuela’s natural resources. (On Saturday, Mr. Trump said part of his goal in Venezuela is to “get the oil flowing” in the petroleum-rich state.)
Venezuelan opposition leaders say they’re ready to take charge, but Trump isn’t so sure
Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado celebrated Maduro’s ouster, saying in a statement: “Venezuelans, the time for freedom has come!”
Machado, who won the Nobel Peace Prize last year, called for Edmundo Gonzalez to be recognized as Venezuela’s legitimate president and to take control of the armed forces. Gonzalez faced off against Maduro in the country’s last election in 2024, but the government recognized Maduro as the winner, in a result that was widely criticized by the U.S. and international observers on allegations that Maduro had stolen votes.
“Today we are ready to assert our mandate and take power. Let us remain vigilant, active, and organized until the democratic transition is complete,” said Machado.
Gonzalez said on X: “[W]e are ready for the great operation of the reconstruction of our nation.”
But Mr. Trump said in his press conference Saturday that it would be “very tough” for Machado to help lead the country, saying she didn’t have enough support.
“She’s a very nice woman, but she doesn’t have the respect,” Mr. Trump told reporters.
