Trump describes the moment Venezuela’s Maduro was confronted by US forces

president Donald Trump revealed during an exclusive interview with “Fox & Friends Weekend” that Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro was captured in a “castle”-like house, where he was “rushed away very quickly” by US Special Forces.

Trump said he met with the generals inside a room at his residence in Mar-a-Lago, Florida, and they were “watching every aspect” of the “very complex” operation. The president said the initial plan was to arrest Maduro earlier this week, but US forces had to wait for the right weather conditions.

“We waited four days. We were going to do it, four days ago, three days ago, two days ago. And suddenly the door opened and we said: Go,” the president said, describing how Maduro was in a “highly guarded” house when he was confronted.

“He was in a house that was more like a fort than a house,” Trump said. “It had steel doors. It had what they called a safe space, where there was, you know, solid steel everywhere. He didn’t lock that space down. He was trying to get in, but he rushed too fast to get in.” “We were prepared. We had, you know, huge blowtorches and everything else we needed to get through that steel. But we didn’t need it. And it didn’t reach that area of ​​the house.”

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A US official familiar with the matter told Fox News on Saturday that the US Army’s Delta Force effectively captured Maduro, with the CIA providing intelligence to the War Department to help track the dictator’s location.

“Everything was meticulous…everything they did. They actually built a house identical to the house they entered with all the safes and all the steel everywhere,” Trump told Fox & Friends Weekend, describing the military planning carried out during the operation.

Trump said he believed no American soldiers were killed during the operation. He added, “Two young men were injured, but they returned and are supposed to be in very good condition.”

Trump confirms US strike in Venezuela and says President Maduro has been arrested

Acting Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro waves to supporters as he leaves after voting for the successor to late President Hugo Chavez, in Caracas on April 14, 2013. (Carlos Garcia Rollins/Reuters)

Trump also said that Maduro and his wife were flown by helicopter to the USS Iwo Jima and were heading to New York to face indictment on charges including terrorism and drug conspiracy.

When asked what the future of Venezuela holds with Maduro leaving the country, Trump said: “We’re making that decision now.”

“We can’t afford to let someone else run and take over where they left off. So we’re making that decision now,” Trump told Fox News on Saturday morning. “We’re going to be very involved in that, and we want to bring freedom to the people. We want, you know, to have a great relationship. I think the people of Venezuela are very happy because they love the United States. You know, it was run by a dictatorship or worse.”

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro addresses supporters during a rally marking the anniversary of the 19th century Battle of Santa Ines in Caracas, Venezuela, on December 10, 2025. (Pedro Rances Mattei/Anadolu via Getty Images)

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Trump also said that US military operations in Venezuela “are saving lives because drug trafficking is so bad, it’s out of control.”

Fox News’ Rachel Wolf and David Spont contributed to this report.