The U.S. President Donald Trump threatened the top leaders of chavismo that they could face the same fate as Nicolás Maduro.
In his televised address from his residence in Mar-a-Lago, Florida, this Saturday, Trump spoke to the political authorities of Venezuela: "All political and military figures in Venezuela must understand that what happened to Maduro can happen to them, and it will happen if they are not fair, even to their own people."
Trump said that Maduro's ousting marks a new phase for the country.
"The dictator and terrorist, Maduro, has finally left Venezuela. The people are free. They are free once again. It has been a long time for them, but now they are free," he stated.
Furthermore, he stated that they are prepared to launch another attack without encountering resistance.
"We are ready to organize a much larger second attack if necessary."
"So we were prepared for a second wave if necessary. In fact, we assumed that a second wave would be needed, but now it probably won't be the first, if you want to call it that, since the first attack was so successful that we probably won't have to do a second, but we are ready to do so," he added.
Under his command, the United States armed forces executed an assault in Caracas "like never seen since World War II" to capture Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores, with the aim of prosecuting them in the United States and maintaining control of the country until an orderly transition.
In a televised address from his residence in Mar-a-Lago, Florida, Trump referred to the nighttime incursion in the Venezuelan capital where, according to him, U.S. troops managed to capture Maduro and Flores without any American soldiers or military equipment being lost.
Trump presented the operation as a demonstration of the supposed superiority and competence of the American armed forces, contrasting it with what he described as “shameful” past attempts such as those in Afghanistan and during the era of former President Jimmy Carter.
Trump stated that Venezuela was "incapacitated" despite, he said, the initial resistance and the preparation of local forces.
He promised that the United States will maintain "control over Venezuela until there is a fair and orderly transition," without detailing specific timelines or mechanisms, and reiterated a message of peace, freedom, and justice for the Venezuelan people.
The reaction within Venezuela was immediate and contradictory: the Chavista government denounced an "imperialist aggression" and claimed to be unaware of Maduro's whereabouts, while power outages and troop movements continued in areas such as Fuerte Tiuna.
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