WATCH: Trump holds news conference after announcing U.S. has captured Venezuelan leader Maduro

NationUpdated on Jan 3, 2026 12:03 PM EST — Published on Jan 3, 2026 10:39 AM EST

President Donald Trump held a news conference Saturday after announcing the United States hit Venezuela with a "large-scale strike" early Saturday and captured President Nicolás Maduro and his wife.

Watch the Trump administration's remarks in the video player above.

Trump said the U.S. planned to run Venezuela until a transition of power can take place, and he claimed the American presence was already in place.

"We're going to run the country until such time as we can do a safe, proper and judicious transition," Trump said.

WATCH CLIP: Trump says U.S. is 'going to run' Venezuela until transition of power after capturing Maduro