Following the U.S. capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores earlier on January 3, 2026, President Donald Trump shared a photo on Truth Social showing Maduro handcuffed and blindfolded aboard the USS Iwo Jima. The couple, facing narcotrafficking charges, is en route to New York.
Ahead of a press conference, Trump posted the image depicting Maduro in a light gray Nike tracksuit, with noise-canceling headphones over his ears and a blindfold over his eyes, taken on the American amphibious assault ship USS Iwo Jima.
The photo comes hours after U.S. airstrikes on Fuerte Tiuna, Venezuela's largest military complex, during which Maduro and Cilia Flores were seized. Trump described watching the operation live, likening it to 'a TV show' and noting Maduro's failed attempt to flee to a fortified security space.
The pair faces U.S. indictment for narcoterrorism and corruption in the Southern District of New York, as detailed in a 20-page document shared by Attorney General Pamela Bondi. Trump indicated they will be detained in New York or Miami upon arrival.
