Trump says US prepared for larger second wave in Venezuela but initial assault made it unnecessary

PALM BEACH, FLORIDA: President Donald Trump disclosed on Saturday, January 3, that the United States had fully prepared a sweeping “second wave” of military action against Venezuela - an assault he said would have been “much bigger” than the initial operation that captured Nicolas Maduro.

Speaking from Mar-a-Lago just hours after the dramatic extraction, Trump said US planners assumed the first strike alone would not be enough.

Instead, the precision and speed of the opening blow appear to have neutralized the regime, so completely that the follow-up attack may no longer be necessary.

Trump claims the US was ready for 'a much bigger wave'

Trump said that the administration had positioned overwhelming force in reserve, ready to escalate without hesitation.

“We were prepared to do a second wave if we needed to do so - we actually assumed that a second wave would be necessary, but now it’s probably not,” Trump told reporters.

He described US forces as staged with “an armada like nobody’s ever seen before,” underscoring how close the region came to a far broader military confrontation.

“The first wave was so successful, we probably don’t have to do a second, but we’re prepared to do a second wave - a much bigger wave, actually,” Trump said, calling the opening strike “so lethal” and “so powerful” that later phases were effectively rendered obsolete.

Operation Absolute Resolve

Trump confirmed the mission was internally dubbed 'Operation Absolute Resolve', a name reflecting both its timing and intensity. He praised the elite units involved, saying the execution exceeded expectations at every level.

“If you would have seen what I saw last night, you would have been very impressed,” Trump said, adding that the operation involved “many helicopters, many planes, many, many people.”

Despite the scale, Trump stressed that no American equipment was lost. While some personnel sustained injuries, he confirmed there were zero US fatalities.

Bumrushed in a 'fortress'

Trump also detailed how Maduro was taken into custody inside what he described as a hardened compound.

“It was more like a fortress than a house,” Trump said, explaining that the residence featured reinforced steel doors and a panic room.

“He was trying to get into it, but he got bumrushed so fast that he didn’t,” Trump added.

The operation included support from the FBI’s elite Hostage Rescue Team, embedded alongside military units for the arrest. Trump said that the raid had been planned for days but delayed repeatedly due to weather before conditions finally aligned.

US to oversee transition

With Maduro in US custody and the second wave shelved, Trump outlined Washington’s next move. He said the United States will effectively oversee Venezuela during the interim period until a new government is established.

“We’ll be running things until there’s a peaceful transition,” Trump said, adding that while additional military plans existed, they likely would not be needed following the collapse of Maduro’s security apparatus.

The president framed the outcome as decisive, signaling that the most dangerous phase of the operation ended the moment the first wave landed.