The President of the United States, Donald Trump, met on Friday in Fort Bragg with members of the special forces who carried out the military operation that resulted in the capture of Nicolás Maduro on January 3 in Caracas.
Accompanied by the First Lady, Melania Trump, who introduced him as the leader maintaining a "mission of peace through strength," the president paid tribute to the forces that participated in the so-called "Operation Absolute Resolution," the operation that challenged Maduro's dictatorship in Venezuela.
"We have the most powerful armed forces in the world," Trump declared before the soldiers, insisting that his administration left behind "the plague of political correctness" within the military.
The president also defended his decision to rename the Department of Defense as the Department of War. “We won World War I. We won World War II. And everything else,” he stated, before assuring that the United States now has “real strength” once again.
Although he took the opportunity to showcase a narrative of total power, linking in the same speech the military actions against Iran and the operation in Venezuela, the most striking moment of the speech came when he began to publicly detail the capture of Maduro, describing it as a swift, violent, and technologically superior incursion.
Trump recounted that Maduro was located in one of the largest military bases in South America and that his troops arrived before he could find refuge. He added that the Chavista leader was behind "steel gates" and that the U.S. forces had enough equipment to breach them without difficulty. "They arrived before he could hide. But that wouldn't have made a difference because they had the equipment to break through that gate," he said.
The president also hinted that the operation included special technology to neutralize foreign defenses. He stated that even the "stunners" were crucial and assured that the "Chinese" and "Russian" equipment did not work during the attack. "Well, one day you'll find out, but they didn't work," he remarked.
Trump also acknowledged that some American pilots were injured during the operation while landing helicopters under machine gun fire, but emphasized that they were able to extract Maduro in a matter of minutes. "By the time they realized what had happened, the helicopters were already departing," he pointed out.
According to his account, that night "the whole world saw what the military might of the United States can do."
The early morning of January 3 was marked by explosions in Caracas, the entry of the Delta Force into the presidential complex, and the neutralization of the Cuban security ring protecting the Venezuelan leader. In less than half an hour, Maduro and Cilia Flores were detained while trying to take refuge in a bunker, according to journalistic reconstructions based on satellite images and intelligence reports.
Hours later, Trump himself confirmed the capture in an operation he described as “precise and without American casualties.” Maduro was initially taken to the Guantanamo base and then to New York. The image that made headlines worldwide showed him handcuffed and escorted by federal agents in Manhattan.
Since then, the regional political landscape has changed abruptly. Washington is overseeing the transition process in Venezuela under the interim leadership of Delcy Rodríguez, while relaxing sanctions on the oil sector and opening the door for the entry of major U.S. energy companies.
In the midst of this new scenario, Trump has even hinted at a future visit to Venezuela, has confirmed the official recognition of the interim government, and has defended the shift as part of a strategy of "strength and stability."
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