Former US President Donald Trump has hosted a celebratory dinner at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida, attended by a crowd of jubilant Venezuelan expatriates, following the dramatic capture of Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro.
A Night of Celebration in Palm Beach
The opulent event, held on Saturday night, saw Venezuelan influencers and artists personally thanking Trump for his role in ridding their country of the dictator who had been in power for 13 years. Videos shared on social media showed attendees, including Latina artists Anirays Bolivar Camino and Adina Banea, and influencer Victoria Herrera, hugging the former president and expressing their gratitude.
Bolivar Camino described it as "an honour" to be among the first to thank Trump directly. The dinner also marked a notable public reconciliation, as Elon Musk was in attendance, following a highly publicised feud with Trump in the summer of 2025.
The Operation and Global Reaction
Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, were seized in the early hours of Saturday morning by the US Army's elite Delta Force during airstrikes in Caracas. Explosions and columns of smoke were reported across the Venezuelan capital during the operation.
In an interview with The New York Times just minutes after announcing the raid, Trump praised the mission, calling it "a brilliant operation" carried out by "great troops." When questioned about consulting Congress beforehand, he replied, "We'll discuss that."
While world leaders have reacted with unease and condemnation, the celebratory tone from Mar-a-Lago has been echoed in Venezuelan expat communities worldwide. Over the weekend, streets from Santiago, Chile, to Doral, Florida, were filled with Venezuelans waving flags and dancing.
A Nation in Crisis Sees Hope
The capture of Maduro represents a pivotal moment for a country ravaged by years of crisis. According to the United Nations, more than eight million Venezuelans have fled since 2014 due to extreme violence, hyperinflation, gang warfare, and severe food shortages, creating one of the world's largest displacement crises.
One expatriate celebrating in Florida captured the mood, stating, "Today, justice is being served... We want to return to our country and rebuild." The White House has declined to comment on the Mar-a-Lago event or the operation that precipitated it.
