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Trump says U.S. will ‘run’ Venezuela until ‘transition’ to new president

January 3, 2026 Catholic News Agency 3
U.S. President Donald Trump delivers a press conference after the capture of Venezuela President Nicolás Maduro, Washington, D.C., Saturday, Jan. 3, 2026. Credit: JIM WATSON / Getty Images

Jan 3, 2026 / 12:56 pm (CNA).

U.S. President Donald Trump on Jan. 3 said the United States would “run” Venezuela until a replacement for President Nicolás Maduro can be found, with the U.S. leader vowing a “safe, proper, and judicious transition” after American forces arrested Maduro and brought him to New York State for indictment.

The U.S. launched strikes in the Venezuelan capital of Caracas on Jan. 3 before capturing Maduro and transporting him to the U.S., where he was indicted on drug and weapons charges in a New York district court.

In a press conference on Jan. 3, Trump revealed that the U.S. would “run the country until such time as we can do a safe, proper, and judicious transition.”

“We don’t want to be involved with having somebody else get in and [then] we have the same situation that we had for the last long period of years,” Trump said, emphasizing: “We are going to run the country.”

The president alleged that the Maduro regime in Venezuela “emptied out their prisons [and] sent their worst and most violent monsters into the United States.”

He referenced the June 2024 killing of Jocelyn Nungaray, who was raped and strangled in Texas allegedly by two Venezuelan immigrants in the country illegally.

Asked how long the U.S. would be in charge of Venezuela, Trump said: “I’d like to do it quickly.” He said such operations take “a lot of time.”

He described the country’s infrastructure as in poor shape. “We’re going to take a lot of money out so that we can take care of the country,” he said

U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth at the press conference praised the soldiers who carried out the Venezuelan operation early on Jan. 3, describing them as the “elite of America.”

“Our adversaries remain on notice,” Hesgeth said. “America can project our will anywhere, anytime.”

National leaders in Latin America expressed condemnation of the U.S. operations in Venezuela on Jan. 3, with executives in Colombia, Brazil and elsewhere warning of U.S. aggression and regional instability after the strikes.

The bishops of Venezuela, meanwhile, said they are in prayer and communicating with each other amid the ongoing incident.

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Breaking: Explosions rock Caracas and other cities in Venezuela

January 2, 2026 Catholic News Agency 2
Breaking News – CNA

Jan 3, 2026 / 02:50 am (CNA).

Multiple explosions rocked Caracas and several other Venezuelan cities early Saturday, Jan. 3, accompanied by the sound of apparent military aircraft flyovers.

Residents reported shaking windows and columns of smoke rising from strategic locations, including military bases.

“The explosions were so strong they made the windows of my house shake. When we looked outside, numerous plumes of smoke were rising over Caracas,” said Andrés Henríquez, a correspondent for ACI Prensa, CNA’s Spanish-language news partner.

“There were many, countless. Then, videos and reports began to emerge of explosions in other cities.”

Regime calls on citizens to mobilize

In a furious response issued Saturday, the Maduro regime denounced the blasts as “extremely grave military aggression” by the United States, alleging an attempt to seize Venezuela’s strategic resources.

Foreign Minister Yván Gil Pinto announced that President Nicolás Maduro has signed a decree declaring a “State of External Commotion” — a constitutional emergency measure granting the regime sweeping wartime powers to mobilize the military and suspend civil guarantees.

Citing Article 51 of the U.N. Charter, the government vowed to “exercise self-defense” and called on citizens to mobilize against what it termed an “imperialist attack” intended to force regime change.

Shortly after the regime reaction, U.S. officials reportedly confirmed to CBS News that President Donald Trump had ordered the strikes.

The developments follow recent escalations, including the U.S. designation of Maduro as alleged leader of the “Cartel of the Suns” narco-terrorism ring.

Church warns of persecution

The violence validates grim warnings from the Venezuelan Bishops’ Conference (CEV). In their recent Christmas message, the bishops cautioned that the “joyful experience” of the season was “overshadowed” by the country’s “turbulent national reality” and “generalized impoverishment.”

Tensions between the Church and the regime have spiked since the disputed July 2024 elections. The episcopate has repeatedly demanded the release of political prisoners — including minors — while Maduro recently accused Cardinal Baltazar Porras of conspiracy during the October 2025 canonization of Venezuela’s first saints.

Analysts told CNA recently that the Church likely faces “more persecution” in 2026 as the regime becomes increasingly isolated.

This is a developing story. Latest update on Jan. 3 at 3:42 am ET with the first official reactions and statements from Venezuela and the U.S.

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