Jan 3, 2026 - Politics & Policy

Trump shares photo of Maduro after capture

Image of a man in gray Nike tracksuit, wearing black visor and headset, holding a water bottle, standing in a dim indoor setting. — This screenshot President Trump shared via Truth Social shows Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro on board the USS Iwo Jima on Saturday. Photo: President Trump's Truth Social page

President Trump posted a photo of what appeared to be "captured" Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro on Saturday, hours after the U.S. seized the leader in a large-scale strike on Caracas overnight.

Why it matters: Trump shared the purported photo of Maduro on board the USS Iwo Jima just before the U.S. president announced America is "going to run" Venezuela until a "proper transition can take place."

Trump also posted video of the operation set to Creedence Clearwater Revival's Vietnam-era protest song "Fortunate Son."
Congress had not approved the strike, which the Trump administration said was carried out to protect American troops. There were no American casualties in the conflict.

State of play: Trump has wanted to oust Maduro and force a regime change in the oil-rich country for months. The U.S. put a $50 million bounty on the Venezuelan leader in August.

Trump has repeatedly insisted that Maduro is trafficking fentanyl into the U.S., although the word "fentanyl" does not appear in his indictment.
Venezuela is not a major producer of the drug, and the indictment alleges Maduro was participating in a conspiracy to traffic cocaine.

The U.S. has mobilized an armada in the region in recent months, including the world's largest aircraft carrier, fighter jets and long-range Tomahawk missiles.

Editor's note: This story has been corrected to reflect that the Trump administration announced the $50 million bounty in August (not this year).

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Trump shares photo of Maduro after capture

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