Trump Celebrates Capture of Nicolas Maduro in New York Times Phone Interview

In a Phone Interview, Trump Celebrated the Capture of MaduroIn a call with The New York Times, President Trump called the U.S. operation in Venezuela “brilliant" but did not address whether he had consulted Congress.Trump called the strike against Venezuela “a brilliant operation.”Credit...Pete Marovich for The New York TimesJan. 3, 2026, 5:32 a.m. ETPresident Trump sounded tired. It was just after 4:30 a.m. Saturday morning and 10 minutes after he announced on social media that the United States had captured Nicolás Maduro, the leader of Venezuela. I had called the president to try to better understand what happened and what comes next. He picked up after three rings and answered a few questions.Mr. Trump first celebrated the mission’s success. “A lot of good planning and lot of great, great troops and great people,” he told me. “It was a brilliant operation, actually.”I then asked if he had sought congressional authority before the U.S. military, along with law enforcement personnel, engaged in a “large scale strike,” as he put in on social media. “We’ll discuss that,” he said. “We’re going to have a news conference.” In his social media announcement, Mr. Trump said he would speak at 11 a.m. from Mar-a-Lago, his private club and residence where he has spent the past two weeks.I tried to ask what he envisions next for Venezuela and why the high-risk mission was worth it. “You’re going to hear all about it 11 o’clock,” he said before hanging up.The call had lasted 50 seconds. Tyler Pager is a White House correspondent for The Times, covering President Trump and his administration.SKIP