Donald Trump's press conference on Venezuela - FULL TEXT
US President Donald Trump held a press conference on Venezuela, announcing that Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro had been captured in a large-scale US military operation and would face trial in the United States.
News.Az presents the full text of Donald Trump's speech:
Late last night and early this morning, under my direction, the United States Armed Forces carried out an extraordinary military operation in the capital of Venezuela. Overwhelming American military power – in the air, on land, and at sea – was used to launch a spectacular assault. It was an operation unlike anything seen since World War II.
This action targeted a heavily fortified military fortress in the heart of Caracas to bring the outlaw dictator Nicolas Maduro to justice. It was one of the most stunning, effective, and powerful demonstrations of American military strength and competence in our history. And when you consider past actions such as the strike on Soleimani, the operation against al-Baghdadi, and the recent destruction of Iran’s nuclear facilities in the operation known as Midnight Hammer, all of which were executed flawlessly, you truly see what this country is capable of.
No nation in the world could have accomplished what the United States achieved yesterday, and in such a short period of time. All Venezuelan military capability was neutralized as the men and women of our armed forces, working side by side with U.S. law enforcement, successfully captured Maduro in the dead of night. It was dark.
The lights across Caracas were largely shut down due to capabilities we possess. It was dark, and it was deadly. Along with Maduro, his wife Celia Flores was also captured, and both now face American justice.
Maduro and Flores have been indicted in the Southern District of New York for their campaign of deadly narco-terrorism against the United States and its citizens. I want to thank the men and women of our military, who carried out this extraordinary mission overnight with breathtaking speed, power, precision, and competence. We rarely witness operations of this caliber.
We have seen raids in the past that did not go well and were an embarrassment. You can look back at Afghanistan or the Carter years; those were very different times.
We are once again a respected nation, perhaps more than ever. The Israeli-trained warriors working alongside U.S. law enforcement met the enemy in a highly prepared state. They were ready for us.
They knew we had multiple ships positioned offshore. They knew we were coming. They were in what is known as a ready position.
But they were completely overwhelmed and quickly incapacitated. If you had seen what I saw last night, you would have been deeply impressed. I am not sure you will ever fully see it, but it was truly remarkable.
Not a single American service member was killed, and not a single piece of American equipment was lost. We deployed many helicopters, aircraft, and personnel. Yet not one aircraft, vehicle, or system was lost.
More importantly, not one American service member was killed. The United States military is the strongest and most formidable fighting force on Earth by far. Our enemies can scarcely imagine our capabilities. We have the finest equipment in the world.
Nothing compares to our technology. Even at sea, we have reduced drug trafficking by 97 percent. Each vessel carrying drugs represents on average 25,000 lives destroyed.
We eliminated 97 percent of it, and most of those drugs originated from one place: Venezuela. We will administer the country until such time as a safe, proper, and judicious transition can be carried out. We do not want another regime taking over only to repeat the same failures of past years.
So we will oversee the country until a lawful and stable transition is ready. It must be judicious because that is what we stand for. We want peace, liberty, and justice for the people of Venezuela.
That includes many Venezuelans now living in the United States who want to return to their homeland. We cannot risk someone taking power who does not have the best interests of the Venezuelan people at heart, as we have seen for decades.
We will not allow that. We are there now, and what many people do not realize – but will soon understand – is that we will remain there until the proper transition is possible. We will essentially administer the nation until that transition takes place.
As everyone knows, Venezuela’s oil industry has collapsed for years. Production fell to almost nothing compared to what it should have been. We will bring in our largest U.S. oil companies – the biggest in the world – to invest billions of dollars and repair the severely damaged oil infrastructure.
We will restore production so the nation can generate real revenue again. And we are ready, if necessary, to launch a second and much larger operation. We were prepared for a second wave and expected it might be required.
However, the first wave was so overwhelmingly successful that a second may not be needed. Still, we remain fully prepared.
This new partnership between Venezuela and the United States – a nation everyone wants to align with because of our success and power – will make the Venezuelan people prosperous, independent, and secure. It will also bring relief to Venezuelans living in the United States who have suffered greatly. That suffering ends now.
Maduro was the leader of a vast criminal enterprise responsible for trafficking enormous quantities of deadly drugs into the United States. As alleged in the indictment, he personally oversaw the brutal cartel known as Cartel de los Soles, which flooded America with lethal narcotics that killed countless citizens over many years. Maduro and his wife will now face the full force of American justice on American soil.
They are currently being transported by ship and will ultimately arrive in New York, with proceedings expected either there or in Florida.
It is both shocking and appalling that such a regime was allowed to exist for so many years after Maduro’s term as president expired. During that time, he waged a relentless campaign of violence, terror, and subversion against the United States, threatening not only our people but the stability of the entire region.
In addition to trafficking massive quantities of illegal drugs that caused widespread suffering across the United States, Maduro sent violent criminal gangs – including the ruthless prison gang Tren de Aragua – to terrorize American communities nationwide. They were present in states such as Colorado.
They seized apartment buildings. They mutilated those they considered enemies. They were brutal.
They are no longer brutal now. I want to congratulate our military, Pete, and everyone in the National Guard for their outstanding work, including in Washington, D.C., which is now one of the safest cities in America. A city once plagued by crime now experiences virtually none.
For months there have been no killings. Restaurants are reopening. Families feel safe walking the streets again. This is due to the tireless work of our National Guard, our military, and law enforcement.
We are applying the same model in other cities such as Memphis, where crime is already down 77 percent. Louisiana requested help, and since our involvement, crime in New Orleans has dropped dramatically within weeks.
Some governors still hesitate to accept help, though they should not. In Chicago, even limited federal support reduced crime despite resistance from local leaders. In Los Angeles, federal intervention prevented a total collapse during the riots, although recognition for that work never came. That is fine. We will always do what is necessary.
But Washington, D.C. remains our greatest point of pride because it is the capital of our nation and is now one of the safest cities in America.
The gangs Maduro sent raped, tortured, and murdered American women and children. They operated in many regions, including Trinidad and Tobago, and were used to terrorize both Venezuelans and Americans. Maduro will no longer threaten anyone.
For years, I highlighted the innocent Americans whose lives were destroyed by this Venezuelan terrorist network. They say it is the worst in the world. Americans such as 12-year-old Jocelyn Nungeri of Houston, a beautiful young girl, were kidnapped and murdered by these criminals.
Maduro’s regime emptied its prisons and mental institutions, sending violent criminals, drug traffickers, and gang members into the United States. That ends now. Our border is secure. No one crosses without authorization.
Venezuela also seized and sold American oil assets, costing us billions. Previous administrations did nothing. We built Venezuela’s oil industry using American talent, and it was stolen.
This was one of the largest property thefts in U.S. history. The United States will never again allow foreign powers to rob our people or expand hostile influence in our hemisphere.
Under Maduro, Venezuela hosted foreign adversaries and acquired dangerous weapons that threatened American lives. They used those weapons last night.
All of this was a direct violation of long-standing American foreign policy going back over two centuries, including the Monroe Doctrine. That doctrine matters again. We no longer ignore it.
Under our new national security strategy, American strength in the Western Hemisphere will never again be questioned.
For decades, administrations neglected these threats. Under my administration, we reassert American power. We did so in my first term, and we are doing so again with even greater strength.
The future will be shaped by the protection of commerce, territory, and resources central to national security. These principles have always defined global power.
We will secure our borders, stop terrorists, dismantle cartels, and defend American citizens from every threat, foreign or domestic.
Some leaders lacked the courage to protect America. I will never allow terrorists or criminals to operate against the United States with impunity. This operation is a clear warning to all who threaten American sovereignty or American lives.
The embargo on Venezuela remains fully in force. The American armada remains positioned and ready. All military options remain on the table until our demands are fully met.
Every political and military figure in Venezuela must understand that what happened to Maduro can happen to them if they do not act fairly toward their people.
The dictator and terrorist Maduro is finally gone. The Venezuelan people are free again.
America is a safer and prouder nation today because we did not allow this threat to continue. The Western Hemisphere is now a much safer place.
I want to thank everyone involved, including General “Raisin” Cain, an exceptional leader, and our Secretary of Defense, Pete Hegseth. Their work has been extraordinary.
Thank you very much.
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