It’s got nothing to do with drugs, said a defiant Nicolás Maduro, hours before his alleged capture by the United States.

The New York City mayor called Saturday's U.S. military operation in Caracas an "act of war" that violates both "federal and international law."

The US will "run" Venezuela until a "safe, proper and judicious transition" can be ensured, Donald Trump has said, after US strikes led to the capture of country's President Nicolas Maduro. US oil companies would also fix Venezuela's "broken infrastructure" and "start making money for the country", the US president said.

The president, who has been lobbying for a Nobel Peace Prize, warned a foreign adversary that the U.S. is “locked and loaded and ready to go.”

President Donald Trump’s capture of Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro sparked widespread discussion on Chinese social media, with some users saying the operation offered a template for how Beijing could handle tensions with Taiwan.

The executive order cast a spotlight on a deal that drew little attention when it was announced during the Biden administration.

The court, with its conservative majority, pushed decisions on contentious issues like birthright citizenship and President Trump’s tariffs into 2026.

Democrats raised constitutional concerns and said the Trump administration had misrepresented its goals in Venezuela, while most Republicans cheered the action.