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‘He F’ed Around and Found Out’: White House video mocks Maduro after dramatic US capture

Hours after the campaign, the White House released a montage with visuals of Maduro delivering a fiery speech, taunting the US to come and capture him.

3 min readNew DelhiUpdated: Jan 4, 2026 07:12 PM IST

The montage of image shows Venezueland President Nicolás Maduro giving a speech. Another image shows him blindfolded after getting captured by US Special Forces. (Credit: X/@WhiteHouse)

Early Saturday morning, the Venezuelan capital, woke up to a series of loud explosions. Months of confrontation between US President Donald Trump and his counterpart Nicolás Maduro over alleged narco-terrorism charges against the latter culminated in a direct US military intervention on Latin American soil. Maduro and his wife were whisked off from the capital city of Caracas by US special forces to New York City to face drug trafficking and weapons charges.

Hours after the campaign, the White House released a montage with visuals of Maduro delivering a fiery speech, taunting the US to come and capture him. “Come get me. I will wait for him here in Miraflores. Don’t be late, coward,” he said. The Palacio de Miraflores is the presidential palace and the official seat of the Venezuelan government.

The montage also featured Secretary of War Pete Hegseth saying, “Nicolas Maduro had his chance — until he didn’t; he f’ed around, and he found out,” at a press briefing.

Nicolas Maduro had his chance — until he didn’t.

The Trump Admin will always defend American citizens against all threats, foreign and domestic. 🇺🇸🦅 pic.twitter.com/eov3GbBXf4

— The White House (@WhiteHouse) January 4, 2026

What led to US action against Venezuela

The Trump administration has been in a stand off with Maduro’s regime since its first term. In March 2020, the US Department of Justice (DOJ) indicted Maduro and 14 senior Venezuelan officials on “narco-terrorism” charges.

In late December, Maduro rejected an ultimatum from Trump to leave office, according to the NYT, quoting those involved in transition talks. After the US struck a dock in Venezuela that it said was used for drug trafficking, the protege of former president Hugo Chavez brushed off the escalation on state television, dancing to an electronic beat on stage.

His “displays of nonchalance” helped persuade some in Trump circles that the Venezuelan president was mocking them, the NYT reported.

How Trump revealed Maduro’s capture

After the swift operation, Trump announced Maduro’s capture on Truth Social. This was barely an hour after the Iranian Foreign Ministry issued an official statement, condemning Trump’s “interventionist remarks” on the crisis in the Islamic Republic, which is currently facing street protests over its currency’s free fall and the overall economic situation.

With Maduro captured, Trump on Sunday said Washington would temporarily “run” Venezuela and take control of its oil sector.

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Also Read | Who is Delcy Rodriguez, Venezuela’s interim president after Maduro’s capture?

Venezuela’s Vice President Delcy Rodríguez has now taken charge of the government. Trump said he would accept Rodríguez, saying that María Corina Machado – who won the Nobel Peace Prize and was part of the opposition bloc that won the Presidential elections in 2024 – lacked the “respect” needed to govern Venezuela. Rodríguez had reportedly built links with Republicans in the oil industry in the past, according to media reports.

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