Venezuelan professional golfer Jhonattan Vegas has publicly celebrated the dramatic capture of his country's president, Nicolás Maduro, by United States forces. The sporting figure took to social media to express his elation following the news announced by former US President Donald Trump.
US Military Operation and Presidential Capture
Donald Trump announced in the early hours of Saturday, January 3, 2026, that a US military strike in the capital Caracas had resulted in the successful capture of President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia. The left-wing leader was apprehended by the US Army's elite Delta Force unit and subsequently transported by helicopter to the USS Iwo Jima warship.
Trump, speaking from his Mar-a-Lago club in Florida, alleged that Maduro leads the 'Cartel de los Soles' drug trafficking operation and is responsible for flooding the US with illegal narcotics. Maduro now faces drugs and weapons charges and is expected to stand trial at Manhattan Federal Court in New York City, likely being held at the Brooklyn Metropolitan Detention Center.
Venezuelan Sports Star's Reaction
The news triggered an impassioned response from Jhonattan Vegas, a two-time Olympic golfer for Venezuela. The 41-year-old PGA Tour star first shared a post on X, formerly Twitter, featuring multiple Venezuelan flags. He followed it with a second, emphatic post written in Spanish.
Translated, his message read: 'Long live Venezuela, DAMN IT ALLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL'. Vegas has been a known supporter of opposition leader María Corina Machado. In a previous social media post last month, he praised her courage and sacrifice, expressing hope she would transform Venezuela into the country of its people's dreams.
Context of a Nation in Crisis
The capture of Maduro has sparked scenes of jubilation within Venezuela, a nation crippled by a severe and prolonged socio-economic crisis. The country has endured rampant violence, hyperinflation, gang warfare, and critical shortages of food and medicine for over a decade.
This turmoil has precipitated one of the world's largest displacement crises, according to United Nations data. Trump stated that the US intends to 'run the country' to facilitate a safe and proper transition, suggesting Venezuela's vast oil reserves could fund its revival, though he provided scant logistical details for governing the nation of 30 million people.
The extraordinary events mark a seismic shift in the political landscape of Venezuela and its relations with the United States, with the world now watching the impending legal proceedings in New York.
