Trump pauses SOTU to reunite young woman with uncle freed from Venezuelan jail after Maduro’s arrest
WASHINGTON, DC: President Donald Trump delivered a surprise moment in the House chamber during State of the Union address.
As cameras scanned the crowd, Trump paused mid-speech to single out Alejandra Gonzales, whose uncle had been imprisoned by the regime of Venezuelan strongman Nicolas Maduro.
Trump reunites Venezuelan political prisoner with niece at SOTU
“Alejandra, I’m pleased to inform you that not only has your uncle been released, but he's here tonight. We brought him over to celebrate his freedom with you in person,” Trump said. “Enrique, please come down.”
Minutes later, the woman and her uncle embraced at the front of the chamber amid thunderous applause.
Trump said that the US has already secured the release of hundreds of political prisoners in Venezuela, with more to come. Enrique Marquez, 62, wasn’t just any detainee. According to Trump, he ran for office and opposed Maduro, a decision that led to his capture by the latter’s security forces and incarceration in what has been described as the regime’s “really infamous prison in Caracas.”
CHILLS: @POTUS reunites Venezuelan woman Alejandra Gonzalez with her uncle, Enrique, who was arrested and held prisoner for years by the Maduro regime in Venezuela. ❤️ pic.twitter.com/K1Hg9M0MfR
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) February 25, 2026
“After Enrique ran for office and opposed Maduro, he was kidnapped by Maduro’s security forces and thrown into the regime’s really infamous prison in Caracas,” Trump said. “Alejandra feared she would never see her uncle again. She feared for her own life also.”
Marquez was freed during a prison release last month that also saw opposition leader Biagio Pilieri walk free.
Trump outlines post-Maduro Venezuela oil strategy
Earlier in the address, Trump touted an expanded economic partnership with Venezuela. He said the US had already received more than 80 million barrels of Venezuelan oil after years of sanctions that had choked Caracas’s crude exports.
Trump greenlit January’s Operation Absolute Resolve, a US military operation that captured Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, in Caracas and whisked them to the United States to face federal charges. The maneuver saw US forces launch strikes across Venezuela, suppress air defenses, and take Maduro and Flores into custody before dawn on January 3.
With Maduro out of power, Venezuela’s vice president, Delcy Rodriguez, was sworn in as acting president. Meanwhile, Washington touted the release of nearly 460 political prisoners as part of a democratic transition.
