President Donald Trump said he witnessed the early morning military strike against Venezuela that led to the capture of the country’s leader, Nicolás Maduro, “like I was watching a television show.”
In a Saturday morning phone interview on “Fox & Friends,” Trump recalled viewing the attack in real-time from Mar-a-Lago. “If you would have seen the speed, the violence,” said Trump, ”it was an amazing thing.”
Trump described the operation as “extremely complex,” and said he “was told by real military people that there’s no other country on earth that can do such a maneuver.”
The capture of Maduro, who was indicted in New York in 2020 on drug-trafficking charges, follows months of escalation in the region as the US military has conducted lethal strikes on alleged drug-trafficking boats.
Several lawmakers on Saturday questioned Trump’s authority to act, with Massachusetts Rep. Jim McGovern writing on X that “without authorization from Congress, and with the vast majority of Americans opposed to military action, Trump just launched an unjustified, illegal strike on Venezuela.”
When asked about McGovern’s comments on Fox, Trump said “these are weak, stupid people,” and proceeded to suggest the US would’ve destroyed if he hadn’t been elected in 2024.
Asked about the future of Venezuela’s oil industry, Trump said, “we’re going to be very much involved in it.” The president also said the US was prepared for a “second wave” strike if needed.
