Attack without a follow-up plan This is the risk Trump is taking with the capture of Maduro

The US President and his allies are calling the military operation in Venezuela a great success. But the Trump administration also has to deal with difficult questions about the future of the South American country.

DPA

03.01.2026, 20:55

dpa

US head of state Donald Trump and his allies see the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro as a successful military operation. "It was actually a brilliant operation", Trump told the newspaper "The New York Times" shortly after US troops had left Venezuelan airspace. During an appearance on the program "Fox & Friends", he said that some US soldiers had been injured in the attack, but probably none had been killed.

The Trump administration has labeled Maduro an "illegitimate" dictator and a "drug terrorist". However, the White House will have to face uncomfortable questions: Who will fill the power vacuum in Venezuela now that Maduro has been overthrown? How do you ensure stability in a country that, despite its huge oil reserves, has already suffered years of hyperinflation, food and medicine shortages and the departure of workers?

"We will lead the country until we can ensure a safe, orderly and prudent transition," Trump told journalists at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida.

What lessons will opponents of the USA learn from Trump's decision to demonstrate American power? Chinese President Xi Jinping is considering annexing the island of Taiwan, which Beijing considers part of its territory. Russian head of state Vladimir Putin has his sights set on neighboring Ukraine and is waging a war of aggression there.

Attack causes unrest worldwide

The overthrow of Maduro is certainly a key event in Trump's foreign policy during his second term of office. The Republican has not hesitated to show US military power, although he has promised that the US would not get into any wars under him. Trump has now twice in his new term used the US military for risky operations against countries he sees as enemies - in June he ordered US attacks on Iranian nuclear facilities. On Friday, Trump threatened Iran with new attacks in the event that "peaceful protesters" were killed there. He then announced that the USA would come to the aid of the demonstrators.

Trump's attack on Venezuela on Saturday caused unrest worldwide. Under Trump, the US is no longer known for seeking global agreement on issues of war and peace.

What is happening now in Venezuela?

European allies of the US had expressed concerns when Trump expanded the US military presence in the Caribbean in recent months and ordered dozens of deadly raids on suspected drug smugglers. Many of these suspected drug smugglers are in principle part of the Maduro government, the Trump administration claimed.

Maduro is controversial within the international community due to the alleged irregularities in the 2018 and 2024 presidential elections in Venezuela. However, many of the USA's allies reacted with some unease to the news of Maduro's capture.

EU Council President António Costa stated that he had "grave concerns" about the situation in Venezuela following the US intervention. French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot said that the operation violated international law.

Members of the Democratic Party in the USA also criticized the military operation. "This war is illegal, it's embarrassing that in less than a year we went from being the policeman of the world to the harasser of the world," said US Senator Ruben Gallego on the X platform. "There is no reason why we should go to war with Venezuela."

A party colleague of US President Donald Trump, Republican Senator Mike Lee from Utah, also expressed doubts: "I'm anxious to know what - if anything - could constitutionally justify this action, given the lack of a declaration of war or authorization to use military force."

Comparison with the fall of the Berlin Wall

The military operation is the culmination of a months-long pressure campaign against Maduro. It was led by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and other opponents of Maduro, who called on Trump to take action against the Venezuelan. In southern Florida, a center of Venezuelan opposition to Maduro abroad, Saturday's outreach was hailed as important for democracy.

Republican Congressman Carlos Gimenez said he had spoken with Rubio and thanked Trump for "changing the course of history in our hemisphere". "Our country & the world are safer because of it," he wrote on X. He compared Maduro's fall to the fall of the Berlin Wall.

Trump: Maduro was given the opportunity to voluntarily relinquish power

Trump claimed that Maduro had recently been given the chance to relinquish power voluntarily, but had refused. Shortly after the announcement of Maduro's capture, the White House released video footage on social media showing Trump at an appearance in October, where he told reporters that Maduro was feeling pressure from the US campaign and trying to negotiate a deal.

Former US special envoy to Iran and Venezuela during Trump's first term, Elliot Abrams, said the Republican must now decide how much influence Washington will exert on the future government in Caracas. The Venezuelan opposition, led by Nobel Peace Prize winner María Corina Machado, says that the legitimate president is the exiled politician Edmundo González.

"I think the real question is whether Trump will declare victory and be satisfied with (Venezuelan Vice President) Delcy Rodríguez making some promises or engaging in negotiations," Abrams said. "Or will he insist on González."

Trump said at a press conference on Saturday that the USA would govern Venezuela for the time being - until a safe transfer of power could take place. He said: "No nation in the world could do what America has done."