What Trump Announced
In a statement circulated widely on X and Telegram, Trump claimed that U.S. forces had conducted a large-scale but precise strike, resulting in the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores.
The operation, he said, was coordinated with U.S. law enforcement, justified under Article II national-security authority, with further details promised at Mar-a-Lago.
The phrase that detonated online:
“Stolen elections have consequences.”
Why Maduro Was Already a Target (Documented Record)
Long before January 2026, Maduro was not just a geopolitical irritant—he was indicted.
In March 2020, the U.S. Department of Justice charged Maduro and senior figures with narco-terrorism conspiracy, alleging leadership of the Cartel de los Soles, cocaine importation into the United States, and weapons offenses under extraterritorial statutes (21 U.S.C. § 959; 18 U.S.C. § 2339).
Those indictments—expanded to include Cilia Flores—are real, public, and unresolved.
Supporters argue this makes Maduro a criminal defendant, not a protected statesman.
Critics counter: indictments are not invasion warrants.
