How Trump went from boat strikes to regime change in Venezuela

The Venezuelan capital, Caracas, is seen at night after a series of explosions early in the morning on January 3, 2026. | Federico Parra/AFP via Getty Images

President Donald Trump called for the US to “run” Venezuela on Saturday, shortly after the arrest of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro amid US strikes on the country’s capital of Caracas. The attack is a major escalation in Trump’s months-long pressure campaign against Venezuela and pushes the US into uncertain territory legally, politically, and militarily.