Trump Says US Not at War With Venezuela After Maduro’s Capture

The U.S. president said he will be the top person in charge of U.S. actions in Venezuela.

President Donald Trump and CIA Director John Ratcliffe (R) monitor U.S. military operations in Venezuela, from Trump's Mar-a-Lago Club in Palm Beach, Fla., on Jan. 3, 2026. Molly Riley/The White House via Getty Images

The United States is not at war with Venezuela but is working to combat drug trafficking, President Donald Trump told NBC News on Jan. 5, after the surprise capture of Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro over the weekend.

“No, we’re not,” Trump told the news outlet. “We’re at war with people that sell drugs. We’re at war with people that empty their prisons into our country and empty their drug addicts and empty their mental institutions into our country.”