Assessing Venezuela’s Future After Nicolás Maduro’s Bold Capture

Shannon K. O'Neil, Elliott Abrams, Max Boot, and Roxanna Vigil

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President Donald Trump sitting next to CIA Director John Ratcliffe and U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio as they watch the U.S. military operation in Venezuela from Trump's Mar a Lago resort, in Palm Beach, Florida, on January 3, 2026. @realDonaldTrump/Reuters

U.S. forces captured Nicolás Maduro and his wife after weeks of mounting military pressure on Venezuela. The regime leader has been removed from Venezuela, and U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi said he would face drug and weapons charges in the Southern District of New York.