Trump hails success of ‘fantastic’ Maduro mission: ‘I’ve never seen anything like it’

“It was very complex, extremely complex, and the whole maneuver — the landings, the number of aircraft, which were a massive number, the number of helicopters and just fighter jets,” Trump said. “I’ve never seen anything like it.”

Trump would not confirm reports that Army Delta Force operators were responsible for the raid on Maduro’s “fortress.”

The president did say that it was “amazing” that the mission suffered no U.S. fatalities and only a handful of injuries, before slightly amending his stance.

“I think we had nobody killed, I have to say, because a couple of guys were hit, but the came back, and they’re supposed to be in pretty good shape,” he clarified, adding that one of the extraction helicopters was “hit pretty hard.”

Top Trump administration officials, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio, stressed Saturday that the situation should not be viewed as regime change, arguing that Maduro is actually a cartel leader and not the “legitimate” president of Venezuela.

Asked about this distinction, and whether or not it should be viewed as a signal to Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum, Trump added that the “cartels are running Mexico,” and that America “[has] to do something.”

TRUMP, THE PRESIDENT OF PEACE, BOMBED AS MANY COUNTRIES IN 2025 AS HE DID DURING HIS ENTIRE FIRST TERM

Critics have claimed that Trump’s campaign against Maduro is actually about securing Venezuela’s oil industry. Trump told Fox Saturday that American energy companies will “very much involved” in managing Venezuela’s oil moving forward.

Trump will hold a press conference at 11 a.m. in Florida to discuss additional aspects of the operation.