Trump Detains Venezuela’s Nicolás Maduro, Cilia Flores, Saying U.S. Will Govern Until Safe Transition

After an unprecedented military operation in decades in Latin America, U.S. President Donald Trump said the United States would 'govern' Venezuela until a 'safe transition' is completed.

“Key takeaways - The US has escalated its use of direct military force with governments it perceives as failing to meet its policy objectives, but direct military interventions are less likely during the remainder of President Donald Trump’s administration, which favors bilateral agreements or forced negotiations secured through pressure and threats”

ACLED

In the early hours of this Saturday, the United States detained Venezuela's president Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, in Caracas, and will bring them to trial.

ACLED

The BBC tied the offensive to the new National Security Strategy published by the White House on December 4, which reaffirms expanding military presence and influence in the region to curb illegal immigration and contain the advance of drug trafficking.

The BBC also said Trump proposed returning to the foreign policy of President James Monroe of 'America for Americans,' under which the country declared in 1823 its intention to safeguard the region from the encroachment of powers outside the continent, and described the approach as the 'Trump Corollary to the Monroe Doctrine.'

ACLED, as quoted by The Intercept, said, "U.S. pressure on organized crime is accelerating the spread of militarized security approaches in the region," and warned that "Growing volatility in the organized crime ecosystem will likely fuel an increase in violence throughout the rest of Trump’s term."

The Intercept reported that the Donroe Doctrine has been used to justify strikes on civilian boats in the Caribbean Sea and Pacific Ocean, an attack on Venezuela and the abduction of its president, and joint counter-cartel operations in Ecuador dubbed "Operation Total Extermination."

BBC

In its analysis shared with The Intercept, ACLED said that in countries where cartels’ revenue sources are most diversified, militarized security strategies have led to counterproductive results including group fragmentation and intensified competition.

The Intercept added that in Mexico, drone attacks by cartels have jumped 567 percent from 2023 to 2025, while in Colombia such attacks have spiked 10,600 percent from one strike in 2023 to at least 107 in 2025.

Beyond Venezuela, the BBC said Trump’s new security framework argues the United States aims to curb illegal immigration, contain the advance of drug trafficking, and improve relations with its ideological allies and trade partners.

“The year 2026 began with a particularly intense sequence: the American military operation and the kidnapping of President Nicolás Maduro”

Le Grand Continent

The tv5monde article said the term reappeared on Truth Social on January 3, 2026, and quoted Trump’s message that "American domination in the Western Hemisphere will never be questioned again."

tv5monde reported that the National Security Strategy published in November 2025 treats the hemisphere as 'an extension of the American domain,' and described concerns for French overseas territories tied to differentiated tariffs.

In Saint-Pierre-et-Miquelon, tv5monde reported that with 50% tariffs the archipelago saw its rate reduced to 10%, and it quoted Stéphane Lenormand saying, 'our geostrategic position in North America and our status as an Overseas Country and Territory' vis-à-vis the European Union.