Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro was unable to secure the doors to his panic room before being “bum rushed” by US forces on January 3, as revealed by President Donald Trump.
Trump elaborated on the significant moments surrounding the high-stakes arrest of Venezuela’s alleged narco-terrorist leader, who resided in a “fortress” — yet was too delayed in shutting the door to his secured area.
Trump says Nicolas Maduro ‘got bum rushed’
Speaking to Fox News on Saturday, the President, “He was in a house that was more like a fortress than a house. It had steel doors.”
“It had what is called a safety space, which is solid steel all around. He didn’t get that space closed. He was trying to get into it, but he got bum rushed so fast that he didn’t go into there,” Trump said.
“We were prepared with massive blow torches and everything else you would need to get through that steel,” he added.
{{/usCountry}}“We were prepared with massive blow torches and everything else you would need to get through that steel,” he added.
{{/usCountry}}Trump releases first pic of handcuffed Maduro
Meanwhile, Trump took to Truth Social to shared first picture of handcuffed Maduro. He was seen aboard the US Navy ship Iwo Jima, en route to New York City, where he will face prosecution in the Southern District of New York.
Maria Corina Machado expresses joy
Meanwhile, Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado expressed her joy over the US apprehension of dictator Nicolás Maduro on Saturday, stating in her first public remarks that the “hour of freedom has arrived.”
“The time has come for popular sovereignty and national sovereignty to govern our country. We will restore order, free the political prisoners, build an exceptional country, and bring our children back home,” Machado said in a statement posted on X.
Machado, the recipient of the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize for her political advocacy, expressed her gratitude to the United States for honoring its “promise to uphold the law.”
Trump rejects Democrats concerns
In the Fox News interview, Trump dismissed concerns regarding the legality of the US presence in Venezuela, labeling Democrats as "weak, stupid people after facing backlash from Rep. Jim Himes, a leading Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee.
“They shouldn't say 'Oh, gee, maybe it's not constitutional.' You know the same old stuff that we've been hearing for years and years and years.”
At the same time, New York Democrat Governor Kathy Hochul and socialist US Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez strongly opposed the Trump administration's decisive action in Venezuela and the arrest of the alleged narco-terrorist, Maduro.
“This morning I was briefed on the developments in Venezuela with Nicolás Maduro, following President Trump’s flagrant abuse of power by acting without congressional approval,” Hochul stated on X.