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 Nicolás Maduro was captured in a “fortress”-like house, where he was “rushed so quickly” by U.S. special forces.

Trump said he huddled with generals in a room at his Mar-a-Lago residence in Florida as they “observed every aspect” of the “extremely complex” operation unfolding. The president said the original plan was for Maduro to be captured earlier this week, but U.S. forces had to wait until weather conditions were favorable.

“We waited four days. We were going to do it four days ago, three days ago, two days ago. And then all of a sudden it opened up and we said, ‘Leave,'” the president said, describing how Maduro was in a “very heavily guarded” house at the time he was confronted.

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“He was in a house that was more like a fortress than a house. It had steel doors. It had what they call a safe space, where there was, you know, solid steel all around it. He didn’t close that space off. He was trying to get in there, but he got pushed around so fast he didn’t get in,” Trump said.

“We were prepared. We had, you know, huge blowtorches and everything you need to get through that steel. But we didn’t need it. It didn’t make it to that part of the house.”

Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro speaks to his supporters in Caracas, Venezuela, December 10, 2025. (Pedro Rances Mattey/Anadolu via Getty Images)

A U.S. official briefed on the matter told Fox News on Saturday that the U.S. military’s Delta Force had physically captured Maduro, and that the CIA was providing intelligence to the War Department to help it locate the dictator.

“Everything was precise…everything they practiced. They actually built a house identical to the one they went into with all the safes, all the steel everywhere,” Trump told “Fox & Friends Weekend,” describing the military planning for the operation.

Trump said he believed no U.S. forces were killed in the operation. He added that “a few guys got hit, but they came back and they’re supposed to be in pretty good shape.”

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Venezuelan interim President Nicolás Maduro greets his supporters as he leaves the country after voting for the successor of the late President Hugo Chavez in Caracas, April 14, 2013. (Carlos Garcia Rawlins/Reuters)

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

Asked what Venezuela’s future holds with Maduro leaving the country, Trump replied: “We’re making that decision now.”

“We can’t risk letting someone else come in and pick up where they left off. So we’re making that decision now,” Trump told Fox News Saturday morning. “We will be very involved in it and we want to give freedom to the people. We want to, you know, have good relations. I think the Venezuelan people are very, very happy because they love the United States. You know, they were basically run by a dictatorship or worse.”

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

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Trump also said U.S. military operations in Venezuela “save lives because drug trafficking is so serious.” It’s gotten so out of control.”

Rachel Wolf and David Spunt of Fox News contributed to this report.