Trump shares photos of himself monitoring US military operation in Venezuela
Trump shared images seemingly depicting a high-level monitoring room during the US military operation in Venezuela, though he offered no details on when or where they were taken. The posts came hours after he asserted US forces captured Maduro.
US President Donald Trump on Saturday afternoon (January 3) posted a series of photographs on his Truth Social account showing what appeared to be himself and senior officials monitoring the US military operation targeting Venezuela.
The images, shared in quick succession, appeared to show Trump seated at a conference table alongside CIA Director John Ratcliffe, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, CIA Director John Ratcliffe, Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, and other officials, watching live feeds and reviewing operational maps as the strikes unfolded.
Trump did not provide detailed captions explaining the timing or location of the images, but the posts followed his public remarks earlier in the day in which he claimed US forces carried out an overnight operation in Caracas that resulted in the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro.
The posts quickly drew widespread attention on social media, adding to heightened scrutiny of the administration’s claims about the scope and outcome of the Venezuela operation.
Trump "watched the operation in real time”
Trump said earlier that he monitored the military operation from his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida during a phone call with Fox News.
“I was able to watch it in real time, and I watched every aspect of it, and I listened to the communication between, you know, where we were in Florida and out in the field in Venezuela,” he said.
“It was amazing to see the professionalism, the quality of leadership, the professionalism.”
Praise for US Forces
Trump also commended the US forces involved and underscored the sophistication of the military equipment used during the overnight operation.
“It’s been amazing to see how good they were, how professional they were, how incredible the equipment we have is — I mean, the level of equipment and to see how it worked so perfectly,” he said.
He confirmed that there were no US fatalities during the mission, noting only minor injuries.
“To have a few injuries, but no death on our side, is really amazing,” Trump added.