Trump releases first picture of Nicolás Maduro in US custody [View all]
Source: USA Today
Updated Jan. 3, 2026, 12:48 p.m. ET
President Donald Trump on Jan. 3 released the first photo of Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro on board the USS Iwo Jima after his capture in an overnight U.S. military operation. The photo, posted to Trump's social media network Truth Social, shows Maduro in a gray sweatsuit, holding a water bottle and wearing what appeared to be sound-suppressing earmuffs and a dark covering over his eyes.
Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, were both captured in the operation that also included strikes on targets in Venezuela, he said. Both are named in a federal indictment accusing them of narco-terrorism conspiracy, cocaine importation conspiracy and two illegal weapons counts. They will be taken to New York to face the charges, Trump said.
In a news conference, Trump said the United States will "run the country" until a "proper" transition of leadership can take place, without further detailing what U.S. involvement would look like. Maduro was pictured on the USS Iwo Jima, a U.S. Navy amphibious assault ship, where he was being held with his wife, Trump said.
They were removed from Venezuela by helicopter, he said on Fox News. "They're on a ship, but they'll be heading into New York," he said in a morning appearance on the network.
Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro, pictured here after his capture aboard the USS Iwo Jima, is seen in this handout image, posted by U.S. President Donald Trump posted on Truth Social Jan. 3, 2026. The United States captured Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro and his wife in an overnight military operation on Jan. 3, 2026, President Donald Trump said, as explosions rocked Caracas and targets across the country. Donald Trump/Truth Social Via USA TODAY
Read more: https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2026/01/03/nicolas-maduro-picture-captured-venezuela/88006682007/
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