President Donald Trump joined Fox & Friends Saturday morning to discuss the U.S. operation to capture Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro.
President Trump praised U.S. forces who participated in the execution and planning of the operation, saying that “no other country on Earth.
.@POTUS on the capture of Venezuelan dictator Nicolás Maduro: "The team did an incredible job... There's no other country on Earth that can do such a maneuver." pic.twitter.com/sbfEyVDgUf
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) January 3, 2026
Trump indicated that he was at Mar-a-Lago, observing the raid unfold in real time.
"I've never seen anything like this. I was able to watch it in real time, and I watched every aspect of it," says @POTUS on the U.S. capture of Venezuelan dictator Nicolás Maduro.
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) January 3, 2026
"It was amazing to see the professionalism — the quality of leadership... Amazing." 🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/VZvRxZRgab
Trump suggested that the raid would return the respect for American armed forces that had been lost after the botched Afghanistan withdrawal.
"Compare to this to Afghanistan, where we were a laughingstock all over the world. We're not a laughingstock anymore. We have the greatest military in the world — by far," says @POTUS.
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) January 3, 2026
"The professionalism and the bravery... You almost couldn't hold to them back." pic.twitter.com/XWnaOxITbn
After Mexico’s President Claudia Sheinbaum condemned the U.S. operation, President Trump issued a stern rebuttal.
.@POTUS: "She's a good woman, but the cartels are running Mexico. She's not running Mexico — the cartels are running Mexico." https://t.co/YQOjteYLHi pic.twitter.com/ciCN3m33Vd
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) January 3, 2026
Trump suggested that the U.S. was considering its options for the future of the Venezuelan state.
"What do you think is next for the Venezuelan people now that you have removed Maduro so that he can face American justice?"@POTUS: "We're making that decision now. We can't take a chance on letting somebody else run it and just take over where he left off." pic.twitter.com/Rh64xxtkpc
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) January 3, 2026
Trump called the invasion of Venezuelan criminals, drug dealers, and mental patients “unforgivable.”
.@POTUS: "Sending prisoners and people from mental institutions and drug lords — they sent them by the hundreds of thousands... and that is just unforgivable. That's why he wanted to negotiate at the end and I didn't want to negotiate. I said, 'Nope. We gotta do it.'" pic.twitter.com/eU44jxnkmi
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) January 3, 2026
Trump had a message for those who might oppose the operation: “We're saving lives.”
"These are weak, stupid people," says @POTUS on Democrat complaints of Maduro's capture.
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) January 3, 2026
"It's the same old stuff that we've been hearing for years and years... You hear from some congressman saying, 'Oh, this is so terrible.' We're saving lives." pic.twitter.com/E6tuZRWt41
Trump also announced U.S. forces had plans to conduct a second strike if the first attempt to capture the Venezuelan leader went awry.
.@POTUS: "We were prepared to do a second wave. We were all set — and this was so lethal, this was so powerful, that we didn't have to... We were out there with an armada like nobody's ever seen before." pic.twitter.com/lBAvGDtO63
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) January 3, 2026
The operation to capture Maduro was considered to be a “surgical” alternative after Maduro failed to surrender after weeks of negotiations.
.@POTUS on his discussions with Maduro in recent weeks: "I said, 'You have to give up. You have to surrender' — and he was close, but in the end, we had to do something that was really much more surgical, much more powerful... This was a very important symbol." https://t.co/PMXAq3k4ht pic.twitter.com/f4KmwzWabk
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) January 3, 2026
Trump issued a warning to any Maduro loyalists who would attempt to retain power, saying that “the future is really bad” for anyone opposing the U.S. operation.
.@POTUS says Maduro and his wife were first taken to the USS Iwo Jima:
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) January 3, 2026
"They're on a ship, and they'll be heading into New York... They went by helicopter on a nice flight. I'm sure they loved it." pic.twitter.com/SlV3x3HOcM
Trump also announced that Maduro was flown to the USS Iwo Jima, an amphibious assault ship, and will soon be flown to Brooklyn Metropolitan Detention Center to await trial.
.@POTUS says Maduro and his wife were first taken to the USS Iwo Jima:
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) January 3, 2026
"They're on a ship, and they'll be heading into New York... They went by helicopter on a nice flight. I'm sure they loved it." pic.twitter.com/SlV3x3HOcM
Trump stated that Maduro attempted to barricade himself into a safe room just before being captured by U.S. forces.
.@POTUS on the moment Maduro was captured:
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) January 3, 2026
"He was in a house that was more like a fortress than a house. It had steel doors, it had what they call a safety space where it's solid steel... He was trying to get into it, but he got bum rushed so fast that he didn't." pic.twitter.com/xtYh1Jo8wX
The full interview is available here:
WATCH IN FULL: President Donald J. Trump's exclusive interview with @foxandfriends following the highly successful U.S. operation in Venezuela that resulted in the capture of dictator Nicolás Maduro pic.twitter.com/miGP0z39SO
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) January 3, 2026