Trump: We Have a ‘Second Wave’ Ready if Venezuela Won’t Play Ball

President Donald Trump said Saturday that a good government will arrive in Venezuela, but how it happens is up to its leaders.

American forces on Saturday staged a lightning raid to capture Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro, who arrived in New York state Saturday evening facing criminal drug trafficking charges.

Trump said Saturday that the United States will temporarily run Venezuela, but elaborated that how that plays out will depend upon the extent to which Venezuelan Vice President, Delcy Rodriguez works with the U.S., according to the New York Post.

#Maduro stepping down from the plane at a New York airbase; while in custody of the U.S. law enforcement. pic.twitter.com/l0LJbsTOaJ

— Arif Ammar (@Arif123ammar) January 3, 2026

When asked if American troops will be involved in operating the government, Trump said: “No, if Maduro’s vice president — if the vice president does what we want, we won’t have to do that.”

“We’re prepared,” Trump said. “You know, we have a second wave that’s much bigger than the first wave.”

Trump said “we’ve spoken to her [Rodriguez] numerous times, and she understands, she understands.”

🚨 U.S. President Trump says, US troops won’t enter Venezuela if Maduro’s VP Delcy Rodríguez “does what we want.”

“If the vice president does what we want, we won’t have to do that… We’re prepared. A second wave is much bigger than the first.” pic.twitter.com/leCaH2YLnP

— The News Drill (@thenewsdrill) January 3, 2026

However, after Maduro’s removal, Rodriguez slammed the U.S. and said the operation to remove him had a “Zionist tint,” according to the New York Post.

“What is being done to Venezuela is a barbarity,” she said, according to The New York Times.

“We had already warned that an aggression was underway under false excuses and false pretenses, and that the masks had fallen off, revealing only one objective: regime change in Venezuela,” she said.

“This regime change would also allow for the seizure of our energy, mineral and natural resources. This is the true objective, and the world and the international community must know it.”

However, Venezuelans living in South Florida praised Trump, according to WTVJ-TV.

“I’m very excited…We are celebrating. Thanks to President Trump and the U.S. military for this perfect operation,” one celebrant said.

Venezuelans in South Florida celebrate: “It’s not an act of war. It’s an act of freedom”pic.twitter.com/EEG7cLr3iS

— Defiant L’s (@DefiantLs) January 3, 2026

“I started crying. I’ve seen my dad cry three times in my life: his dad dying, Fidel dying and today…It’s historic,” another celebrant said.

Trump noted the deeper and historic significance of the raid, according to Fox News.

“The Monroe Doctrine is a big deal. But we’ve superseded it by a lot, by a lot,” Trump said.

“The Monroe Doctrine is a big deal, but we’ve superseded it by a lot. They now call it the Donroe Doctrine.”

He’s always on 😂 pic.twitter.com/78P3MnrLFv

— Josh Rainer (@JoshRainerGold) January 3, 2026

“They now call it the ‘Don-roe Doctrine’ … We sort of forgot about it. It was very important, but we forgot about it. We don’t forget about it anymore. Under our new national security strategy, American dominance in the Western Hemisphere will never be questioned again,” he said.

The Monroe Doctrine was developed by President James Monroe to keep European powers out of the Western  Hemisphere.

“President Trump has prioritized enforcing the Monroe Doctrine unlike any other President in decades,” White House representative Anna Kelly said last month.

“He was elected on his promise to eliminate the scourge of drug deaths in our country, including his commitment to secure the southern border and take on the cartels. He has delivered on both fronts by stopping the flow of drugs by land and by sea,” she said.

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