By Emmanuel Bobby
President Donald Trump said he gave Venezuela’s leader one final opportunity to step aside before ordering a sweeping military operation that culminated in Nicolás Maduro’s capture.
In a private phone call about a week before the raid, Trump told Maduro bluntly that his time was up. By then, a flotilla of U.S. warships had positioned itself off Venezuela’s coast, and a CIA team was already inside the country, quietly tracking Maduro’s movements—where he slept, what he ate, and how he traveled.
“You’ve got to surrender,” Trump recalled saying during a news conference Saturday at his Mar-a-Lago residence.
Maduro hesitated. Trump said the Venezuelan leader “came close” to stepping down but ultimately refused. That decision triggered the final phase of a highly classified and risky plan to remove him by force. At 10:46 p.m. Eastern Time on Friday, Trump issued the order to launch.
This account of Operation Absolute Resolve—described by officials as the most audacious military action of Trump’s presidency—is based on interviews with senior administration officials, congressional sources, and public statements.
Months of Preparation
As early as August, U.S. intelligence quietly deployed a small CIA unit into Venezuela to gain what one official described as “extraordinary insight” into Maduro’s daily routines. According to Gen. Dan “Raizin” Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, U.S. intelligence even tracked details as minute as Maduro’s pets.
Elite U.S. troops trained for months, rehearsing the mission on a full-scale replica of Maduro’s compound built from intelligence imagery. Trump said the preparations mirrored the training used ahead of the 2011 raid that killed Osama bin Laden. The teams also practiced breaching reinforced steel walls, anticipating the possibility that Maduro might barricade himself inside a safe room.
Behind the scenes, a small circle of senior officials worked on the plan, briefing Trump regularly. That group included Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, CIA Director John Ratcliffe, and White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller.
Turning Up the Pressure
Throughout the fall, Trump steadily escalated pressure on the Maduro regime. Beginning in September, the administration authorized strikes on vessels accused of trafficking drugs from Venezuela. At least 35 such boats were hit, killing more than 100 people, according to officials.
The administration’s stated rationale evolved over time—from drug interdiction to directly weakening Maduro’s grip on power. White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles later said the objective was to apply pressure until Maduro “cries uncle.”
In November, the USS Gerald R. Ford, the most advanced U.S. aircraft carrier, entered the Caribbean as part of a broader military buildup.
“A lot of ships out there,” Trump remarked.
Trump approved the operation before Christmas, though weather conditions delayed its execution. Mar-a-Lago became the de facto command center during the final planning phase.
The Green Light
By Friday night, favorable weather conditions finally emerged over Caracas. Cloud cover lifted, visibility improved, and the moonlit skies offered a narrow but workable window.
“Good luck and Godspeed,” Trump told military commanders, words that were passed down through the chain of command, according to Caine.
So sensitive was the operation that even its precise timing was closely held within the Pentagon. Vice President JD Vance met with Trump earlier that day but left before the raid began to avoid drawing attention with late-night movements.
Trump spent the night monitoring the operation from his home. A White House photo later showed him seated at a table, flanked by Rubio and Ratcliffe, watching events unfold in real time.
The Assault on Caracas
More than 150 U.S. aircraft launched from 20 different land and sea bases, including bombers, fighter jets, surveillance platforms, and electronic warfare aircraft. Helicopters carrying special operations forces flew low over the water toward Caracas as other aircraft disabled Venezuelan air defenses.
Trump suggested the U.S. cut power to parts of the capital to gain an operational advantage. Explosions lit up the sky near Fort Tiuna, a major military complex.
By about 1 a.m. Eastern Time, U.S. forces reached the fortified compound where Maduro was staying. Delta Force operators breached the residence, catching Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, by surprise. Maduro attempted to flee into a steel-reinforced safe room but was intercepted before he could secure himself inside.
After Maduro was taken into custody, a firefight erupted. One U.S. helicopter was struck, but no Americans were killed. Several U.S. troops were injured and reported to be in stable condition.
By 3:30 a.m., all U.S. forces had exited Venezuelan airspace. Smoke and the smell of gunpowder lingered over Caracas as the U.S. Embassy advised Americans to shelter in place.
Aftermath and Arrest
Trump announced the operation’s success on social media shortly afterward. Images released by the White House showed Maduro handcuffed and blindfolded aboard the USS Iwo Jima.
By late afternoon, Maduro had arrived in New York, escorted by federal law enforcement. He is expected to face charges tied to an alleged narco-terrorism conspiracy involving large-scale cocaine trafficking to the United States.
Trump made clear that the operation marked more than just the arrest of a wanted leader. He framed it as part of a broader assertion of U.S. power in the Western Hemisphere—an updated version of the Monroe Doctrine that he has dubbed the “Donroe Doctrine.”
“We’re going to run it essentially until such time as a proper transition can take place,” Trump said, referring to Venezuela.
Reflecting on his final phone call with Maduro, Trump suggested the Venezuelan leader had miscalculated.
“Now,” Trump said, “he wished he did.”
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