Donald Trump Posts Shocking Photo of Captured Venezuelan President Blindfolded and In Handcuffs Aboard U.S. Warship After Maduro and His Wife Were Taken By the US
President Donald Trump posted a photo showing what he said was captured Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro.
Jan. 3 2026, Published 12:30 p.m. ET
President Donald Trump has shared a photo he said showed captured Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro aboard the USS Iwo Jima, escalating tensions following a U.S. military operation in Venezuela, RadarOnline.com can report.
The image, shared on Trump's Truth Social account, depicts Maduro wearing a sweatshirt and sweatpants, with what appear to be headphones and dark glasses placed over his eyes. He is holding a water bottle and appears to be handcuffed.
Trump confirmed earlier in an interview with Fox News that Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, were aboard the USS Iwo Jima and en route to New York.
Military Operation in Venezuela
The image depicts Maduro in sweatpants and a sweatshirt, appearing handcuffed, with headphones and dark glasses.
Attorney General Pam Bondi confirmed Saturday, January 3, that the pair — who were arrested overnight during the Trump administration’s military operation in Venezuela — will be charged in the Southern District of New York.
Trump said Maduro was inside a heavily fortified compound at the time of his capture and claimed U.S. forces carried out an elaborate deception to gain access.
“They actually built a house which was identical to the one they went into with all the safes, all the steel all over the place,” he said.
The president added that Maduro was attempting to reach a secure area when U.S. forces intervened.
Reports indicated that the U.S. elite special mission unit Delta Force carried out the operation, though Trump declined to confirm those details publicly.
Venezuelan Vice President Delcy Rodríguez
Attorney General Pam Bondi said the couple will face charges in the Southern District of New York.
The photo release came hours after Venezuelan Vice President Delcy Rodríguez demanded proof that Maduro and Flores were still alive, accusing the Trump administration of triggering a national emergency and provoking unrest across the country.
“President Donald Trump had warned of such an attack. And the first thing that President Nicolás Maduro said to President Donald Trump was that the people would go to the streets and all the plans would be activated so that in perfect union, military, popular and police, all the plans would be completely activated by this decree signed by President Nicolás Maduro of extreme commotion,” she said.
Rodríguez alleged that both civilians and military personnel were killed during the U.S. operation and condemned the attack as unlawful.
Nationwide Mobilization
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Venezuelan Vice President Delcy Rodríguez demanded proof that Maduro and Flores were still alive.
Calling for nationwide mobilization, Rodríguez said Venezuelans had been ordered to defend the country.
“So the instructions are very clear. The instructions of president is to activate immediately. This is what the chief of the Bolivarian Armed Forces know, and the people that is organized in militias, they know it. And the citizenships know it, that in perfect union between the police, the military and the people, we need to go out in defense of our homeland.”
