"If she doesn't do the right thing, she could end up worse than Maduro"! Trump warns Venezuela's "interim president": must listen to the United States
On the day after the US military raided Caracas, forcibly took control of Maduro and brought him to the United States, US President Trump issued a stern warning to Venezuela’s acting president Rodriguez, stating that if she “does not do the right thing,” she will pay a “higher price” than Maduro.
On January 4, according to Xinhua News Agency reports, Trump made it clear during a telephone interview with an American Atlantic Monthly reporter that he would not tolerate Rodriguez openly opposing US military actions in Venezuela. This statement was directed at Rodriguez’s speech on Venezuela’s national TV on the 3rd—she declared that Maduro was Venezuela’s “only president” and stated that Venezuela would never become a colony of any country.
Trump also declared that Venezuela might not be the last country the US intervenes in, and reiterated “we absolutely need Greenland”. This statement shows the US government may continue unilateral military action, causing concerns in the international community about geopolitical stability.
On the early morning of the 3rd, the US military raided Caracas and other places, dispatching special forces to forcibly take control of President Maduro and his wife and bring them to the United States. Venezuela’s Supreme Court then ordered Rodriguez to serve as acting president. At noon, Trump stated at a press conference that Rodriguez had already sworn in as president of Venezuela and spoke by phone with US Secretary of State Rubio, saying she would cooperate with the US.
Five-hour raid operation: Full timeline
According to Global Times, US Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Kane stated that at 10:46pm Eastern time on the 2nd, Trump gave the order. Over 150 aircraft took off from 20 US military bases in the Western Hemisphere, including bombers, fighters, reconnaissance planes, and rotorcraft. Helicopters carrying Delta Special Forces flew close to the ocean surface at about 30 meters altitude.
As they approached Caracas, the US military struck and neutralized Venezuela’s air defense system. In the early hours of the 3rd local time, multiple explosions occurred in Caracas, along with widespread blackouts and difficulty accessing the Internet. Trump said, the blackout was achieved by “a special technology mastered by the US side,” and sources revealed it was caused by a temporary cyberattack.
At 1:01am Eastern time on the 3rd, Delta Special Forces aboard the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment’s MH-60 and MH-47 helicopters arrived at Maduro’s residence. Trump said, when special forces broke into the residence and reached Maduro’s room, he and his wife tried to escape into a steel-reinforced safe room, but were intercepted by US forces.
In the end, Maduro and his wife chose to stop resisting and were taken captive by the raiding forces, boarded the helicopter, and under the cover of US fighter jets and drones were brought out. During the evacuation, US troops and Venezuelan forces exchanged fire multiple times. US helicopters returned to the USS Sulfur Island amphibious assault ship at 3:29am Eastern time on the 3rd. The entire operation lasted about 5 hours.
In a phone interview with Fox News, Trump said, “I was able to watch the whole process in real time, and I watched every detail.” US media speculated this meant that a US RQ-170 drone continuously circled above Maduro’s residence during the operation, providing real-time intelligence and communications relay so that Trump and other senior US leaders could watch the action live.
The US military named this operation “Absolute Resolve.” The US intelligence team conducted months of reconnaissance to locate Maduro, mastering his movements, residence, travel routes, eating habits, clothing preferences, and pets’ details.
CNN reported that preparations for the raid began in mid-December last year, but the plan had been brewing for months. In August 2025, the CIA secretly sent a team into Venezuela to track Maduro, even before the US launched its first military strike against so-called Venezuelan “drug ships” in early September last year. Sources familiar with the operation said the US surveillance group included a CIA insider embedded within the Venezuelan government.
Risk warning and disclaimerThe market has risks, and investment requires caution. This article does not constitute personal investment advice, nor does it take into account the special investment objectives, financial situations or needs of individual users. Users should consider whether any opinion, viewpoint or conclusion in this article is suited to their particular situation. Those who invest accordingly do so at their own risk.