President Donald Trump made a stunning claim Monday evening about who's in charge in Venezuela after he ordered Venezuelan strongman Nicolás Maduro to be captured in a pre‑dawn U.S. special operations raid on Caracas.
Maduro was taken into custody on Saturday and flown to New York to face narco‑terrorism and related drug charges. The mission used elite troops that leveled Venezuela’s air defenses and blacked out parts of the capital. Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, were seized at a military complex after a brief firefight.
The surprise ouster left swirling questions about who would come to power in the country. Speaking to NBC News, Trump delivered a shocking response.
Kristen Welker asked Trump who will be "in charge" of Venezuela, if it was going to be Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, or White House advisor Stephen Miller.
"Are those the top three people would you say, sir?" she asked.
"Yeah, among the top people ... JD will be involved also," he added.
When asked who would be the "top person if there is one," Trump replied, "Me."
Also in the interview, Trump said he "get[s] the sense that Delcy Rodríguez, Venezuela's vice president who was sworn in as interim president on Monday, is "cooperating" with U.S. officials.
"They need help. And I get the sense that you know she loves her country and she wants her country to survive," he said.
