At 2:00 a.m. on January 3rd, the citizens of Caracas reported hearing multiple explosions. The Associated Press informs us bombardments continued for approximately one hour, targeting military facilities and installations. At 4:21 am, President Donald Trump released a statement on social media, informing the public of a "large-scale strike" which resulted in the capture of Venezuelan head of state Nicolas Maduro, and his wife, Cilia Flores. They boarded a U.S. warship and were taken to New York to face prosecution for narco-terrorist crimes.

For the past two decades, Nicolas Maduro and his predecessor, Hugo Chavez, have maintained control over Venezuela's government, overseeing significant political and economic changes. During this period, the World Economic Forum noted Venezuela has faced the world's most severe hyperinflation, in addition to nationwide blackouts, alarming rates of poverty, and according to the International Criminal Court, an ongoing investigation for crimes against humanity. Author Douglas Broom wrote, "Crisis-hit Venezuela tops a list of countries with the highest levels of inflation, with a rate estimated at almost 300,000% in April." Back in 2020, Trump first offered a $15 million reward for Maduro's capture, and Biden raised the reward offer to $25 million. During his second term, Trump increased the bounty to $50 million, doubling the amount the U.S. offered for Osama bin Laden.

Since September, the U.S. has carried out various strikes on alleged drug-smuggling boats in the Caribbean. A direct attack on Venezuela had been rumored, but there was no definite decision. The events that occurred on January 3rd, however, are the climax of the U.S.-Venezuelan conflict. Venezuelans all over the world were seen celebrating the capture of Maduro. They took the streets in areas such as Spain, Italy, Greece, Mexico, Chile, and in their own nation, waving their flag with pride. A Venezuelan woman named Khaty Yanez, who has spent her last seven years living in Chile, told a Reuters reporter, "We are free. We are all happy that the dictatorship has fallen and that we have a free country..." There are various testimonies similar to hers, with Venezuelans chanting words of freedom.

Nonetheless, left-leaning governments and organizations around the world have condemned the U.S. attack, and demand the Venezuelan leader be released. CBS News references multiple examples of those opposed to Maduro's capture, including Cuba's President, Miguel Diaz-Canel Bermúdez. The news outlet tells us, "He joined protesters in Havana and called for urgent condemnation from the international community."

Some Democrats are in disagreement with Trump's approach to capturing Nicolás Maduro, criticizing his lack of congressional approval, and comparing his actions to those of former president Bush. Others claim he may have ulterior motives, and question whether Venezuela's large oil reserves played a role in the administration's actions. The Associated Press provides a quote from Senator Tim Kaine, who stated, "President Trump's unauthorized military attack on Venezuela to arrest Maduro — however terrible he is — is a sickening return to a day when the United States asserted the right to dominate the internal political affairs of all nations in the Western Hemisphere."

Right-wingers have defended President Trump's actions by expressing that Maduro isn't the legitimate leader of Venezuela, having lost the previous elections in the country, but refusing to relinquish power. Some international analysts view the U.S. military operation not only as an effort to remove Nicolas Maduro but also as a part of a broader strategic competition with China. AP News reported that, "China is owed at least $10 billion from Venezuela, according to various estimates, a debt that former Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro had paid down by shipping oil to China." With Maduro's capture and the U.S. now asserting control over Venezuelan oil resources, that could curtail Chinese influence in the Western Hemisphere and shift the balance of strategic leverage in the region.

Other world leaders have publicly celebrated Trump's attack, including Argentinian President Javier Milei and French President Emmanuel Macron. U.S. Senators also supported his decision, such as Representative Carlos Giménez, who wrote in his social media, "today's decisive action is this hemisphere's equivalent of the Fall of the Berlin Wall."

In essence, it remains unclear what leadership in Venezuela will look like moving forward. Although President Trump said in a press conference that the United States would oversee the country during its transitional period, the scope and duration of this involvement is yet to be defined. The coming months will reveal whether Trump's actions mark the beginning of lasting change, creating a path to democracy in the South American nation.