PDB Special Report | January 3, 2026: The Fall of Maduro: Inside the U.S. Operation That Toppled Venezuela’s Dictator
episodePreviously titled “PDB Special Report | January 3, 2025: The Fall of Maduro: Inside the U.S. Operation That Toppled Venezuela’s Dictator” — renamed by the publisher on Aug 3, 2026
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What led to the capture of Nicolás Maduro by U.S. forces?
It's Saturday, the 3rd of January. Welcome to this special edition of the President's Daily Brief. I'm Mike Baker, your eyes and ears on the world stage. And what a stage it is. Well, the world woke up to some genuinely stunning news this morning as President Trump announced that Nicolas Maduro, the longtime strongman ruler, of course, of Venezuela, has been captured along with his wife following U.S. military strikes on key Venezuelan military facilities in and around Caracas. This marks one of the most extraordinary moments in modern U.S. foreign policy in recent memory, the removal of a sitting head of state through direct American military action. It harkens back to the 1989 removal of Daniel Noriega from Panama.
But while the significance of the actions in Venezuela are clear, many critical questions remain unanswered, at least for now. Chief among them, what comes next? I'll give you my thoughts on what this all means going forward, but first, here's what we know about the operation, at least so far. Overnight, U.S. forces carried out what officials are now calling an apprehension mission in Venezuela. According to Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Dan Kaine, the operation had been in development for months and relied on a close integration of intelligence collection and military planning. U.S. intelligence services, Cain said, had been tracking Maduro closely throughout that period. Now, falling in the category of for what it's worth, from my perspective, this would undoubtedly have included recruited assets inside the Venezuelan government and military.
The operation, known as Absolute Resolve, began early Saturday morning with a large-scale bombing campaign. Explosions were reported across Caracas and surrounding areas, with aircraft operating at low altitude. Multiple facilities tied to Venezuela's military and internal security services were hit. Targets included communications hubs, command and control nodes, and air defense systems. power was reportedly knocked out across much of the city during the opening phase. General Kane said approximately 150 aircraft were involved in the operation, including bombers and surveillance platforms, fighter jets, helicopters, and remotely piloted drones. Those aircraft launched from roughly 20 different air bases across the hemisphere.
One aircraft was reportedly struck during the operation but remained flyable and returned safely to base. Then, at approximately 1 a.m. Eastern Time, U.S. Special Forces descended into downtown Caracas. They assaulted what was described as a heavily fortified location where President Maduro and his wife, Cecilia Flores, were believed to be sheltering. According to U.S. officials, both were captured without significant resistance. The pair were then transported to the USS Iwo Jima, a US maybe amphibious assault ship, essentially a floating helicopter base, currently operating in the Caribbean. General Kane said the entire operation from the opening strikes to extraction lasted roughly two hours and 20 minutes.
Maduro and his wife are now reportedly en route to New York. U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi announced that Maduro has been indicted on federal charges. The indictment accuses him, along with multiple associates, of terrorism, conspiracy to import cocaine into the U.S., large-scale drug trafficking, corruption of public institutions to protect narcotic shipments, and partnerships with foreign drug trafficking organizations. It's being reported that Maduro could make his first appearance in New York federal court as soon as Monday. As you can imagine, what remains of the regime isn't too happy with this morning's developments, at least so they claim. Senior Venezuelan officials have denounced the U.S.
action as an act of aggression and declared a national emergency. Of course, Maduro has long been the target of U.S. pressure. He's been under U.S. indictment for years on drug trafficking-related charges. Washington has accused his regime of operating as a narco state, facilitating transnational criminal networks, repressing political opposition, and presiding over the collapse of Venezuela's economy.
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