The Trump Administration dropped a political and military bombshell Saturday morning with the release of images from a secure command room inside Mar-a-Lago, showing senior U.S. leadership overseeing the operation that ended with the capture of Venezuelan strongman Nicolás Maduro. The photos were taken during Operation Absolute Resolve, a meticulously planned mission that unfolded in the early hours of January 3, 2026, and moved fast, loud, and decisively.
The images show President Trump calm and focused, monitoring the operation in real time, just as he later described during his Mar-a-Lago press conference. According to the president, he was able to watch the raid “as if I was watching it on television,” which is exactly the kind of hands-on leadership voters have come to expect. Alongside him were Secretary of State Marco Rubio, War Secretary Pete Hegseth, and Joint Chiefs Chairman Dan Caine, all locked in as events unfolded in real time.
Operation Absolute Resolve began with precision airstrikes across key Venezuelan military installations. Targets included air defenses and command centers in Caracas and surrounding areas, including Fuerte Tiuna and La Carlota. Seven rapid strikes in under half an hour knocked out radar systems and anti-aircraft batteries, opening a clear corridor for U.S. aircraft. After President Trump personally addressed the service members involved, helicopters moved in low and fast, under cover of darkness and controlled chaos.
The raid itself lasted just over two hours and involved roughly 150 aircraft across multiple branches of the U.S. military, intelligence agencies, and the Department of Justice. Special operations forces inserted into Caracas, tracked Maduro using months of intelligence work, and closed in. One helicopter reportedly took fire, but the mission held. Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, surrendered without further resistance and were extracted without delay.
Images later surfaced showing Maduro in custody aboard a U.S. naval vessel, headed to face American charges tied to narco-terrorism and drug trafficking. American forces reported no fatalities, minimal injuries, and only minor aircraft damage. Venezuelan casualty figures remain unclear.
President Trump announced that the United States will assist Venezuela in establishing an interim government and revitalizing its energy sector with U.S. oil companies. “So we are going to run the country until such time as we can do a safe, proper and judicious transition,” he said. U.S. forces are already on the ground and will remain. As the president bluntly put it, “We’re not afraid of boots on the ground.”
Leave a Comment