Trump Says US Helicopter Pilots Were ‘Hit Pretty Bad’ During Maduro Raid

The president praised the pilots as ‘really brave’ during the arrest and capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro in Caracas on Jan. 3.

Captured Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro is escorted, as he heads towards the Daniel Patrick Moynihan United States Courthouse in Manhattan for an initial appearance to face U.S. federal charges including narco-terrorism, conspiracy, drug trafficking, money laundering and others in New York City on Jan. 5, 2026. Reuters/Adam Gray

President Donald Trump said that U.S. military pilots were “hit pretty bad in the legs” during a mission last month in Venezuela that led to the capture of the South American nation’s leader, Nicolás Maduro.

While speaking at Fort Bragg in North Carolina on Feb. 13, Trump said that three helicopter pilots were wounded amid gunfire, praising them as “really brave.”