9 January 2026

In Washington and Caracas, the vision for administering Venezuela in the weeks and months ahead appears uncertain and stubbornly complex.

Adam Taylor, Samantha Schmidt, Natalie Allison and Karen DeYoung

The Trump administration’s bold operation to capture strongman Nicolás Maduro from his home in Venezuela was a startling tactical success. But as the smoke clears in Caracas a day after President Donald Trump said triumphantly that the United States would now “run” Venezuela, the reality of how Washington will administer that country in the weeks and months ahead appears uncertain and stubbornly complex.

Maduro’s allies in Caracas are still in power, some defiantly haranguing about U.S. “imperialism.” The democratically elected opposition leaders are effectively exiled, bluntly sidelined by the Trump administration. And Washington continues to hint at more military action, not only against Venezuela but other perceived enemies in the region such as Cuba and Colombia.

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