Trump Says the U.S. Will Take a Leading Role Following Changes in Venezuela’s Leadership

January 7, 2026 by Nadia

No independent confirmation of these claims was provided during the interview, and Trump did not specify the legal framework under which such proceedings would take place. Still, he presented the move as a decisive step following years of U.S. opposition to Maduro’s government.

Trump characterized the military action as “extremely complex,” saying he personally followed its progress in real time.

“I watched it like I was watching a television show,” he told Fox & Friends, underscoring what he described as the precision and coordination involved.

He also stated that while some U.S. personnel were injured during the operation, there were no American fatalities.

“This is something that, gee, I don’t know, is amazing,” Trump said, pointing to the absence of deaths among U.S. forces.

He described the limited number of injuries as remarkable given the scale of the operation he outlined, portraying it as evidence of effective planning and execution.

In his public comments, Trump strongly defended the decision to act, framing it within broader U.S. national security goals. He linked the operation to longstanding concerns about drug trafficking, arguing that previous administrations had failed to adequately address the issue.

“We did a great job with stopping drugs from coming into this country, and nobody’s been able to do it until we came along,” he said.

Trump acknowledged that critics might raise legal or constitutional objections, but dismissed such concerns as familiar political attacks.