Marco Rubio says Maduro’s capture ‘not a war against Venezuela’: Full interview

In a January 4, 2026, interview on NBC's Meet the Press, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated that the United States is not at war with Venezuela but is enforcing sanctions and conducting law enforcement operations against drug trafficking organizations, including the seizure of sanctioned oil vessels under court warrants.

Rubio emphasized that Nicolás Maduro, recently captured in a U.S. military operation and now in custody facing charges in New York, had cooperated with criminal elements and adversaries, posing direct threats to U.S. national security.

He clarified that the U.S. is not directly running Venezuela but is pursuing policy changes in U.S. national interests—such as ending drug trafficking, expelling Iranian and Hezbollah influences, and preventing Venezuela's oil resources from benefiting U.S. adversaries—through leverage like ongoing oil seizures and potential further actions.

Rubio described the administration's approach as a team effort involving the State Department, Defense Department, and Justice Department, focused on short-term compliance from remaining Venezuelan authorities, particularly those controlling military and police forces.

He praised opposition figure María Corina Machado but noted that much of the opposition is exiled, making immediate cooperation with figures like Vice President Delcy Rodríguez necessary for addressing urgent issues.

Rubio said discussions of elections are premature, as priority lies in resolving security threats, though he expressed long-term support for democratic transition and regional stability beneficial to both Americans and Venezuelans.

He confirmed no permanent U.S. troops are on the ground in Venezuela, framing Maduro's capture as a precise law enforcement action with military support, not requiring congressional approval, and retained all options for future enforcement.

Rubio highlighted that Venezuelan oil proceeds should benefit its people rather than adversaries, criticized past regime corruption leading to mass migration, and distinguished the situation from historical U.S. interventions like Iraq or Libya due to hemispheric ties and specific threats.

He declined to comment on a recent pardon of Honduras' former president or speculate on future targets like Cuba, while noting Cuba's role in propping up Maduro.

From the Democrat’s hyperbole, you would think that a kinetic military incursion into a foreign sovereign nation without a declaration of war has never happened. I found the following events by date in which an American president led a US military attack on another nation. I chose to start in 1983 simply because that is within my adult lifetime.

Now you can debate to what degree these were justified, or sanctioned by the U.N., or part of a multilateral coalition, but in each case, the USA did send in troops, planes or missiles to kill and/or destroy things with the intent to punish or interfere in the course of another country. But the point is that every US president since Ronal Reagan has been responsible for multiple military attacks on other countries.

Note: I did not include missions that were intended primarily for peacekeeping, rescue of Americans, to protect embassies or carry out evacuations.

1983 – Grenada, Ronald Reagan

1989 – Panama, George H.W. Bush

1991 – Iraq, George H.W. Bush

1995 – Bosnia, Bill Clinton

1996 – Kuwait, Bill Clinton

1998 – Iraq, Bill Clinton

1998 – Afghanistan, Sudan, Bill Clinton

1999 – Serbia, Bill Clinton

2001 – Afghanistan, George Bush

2003 – Iraq, George Bush

2007 – Somalia, George Bush

2011 - Libya, Barack Obama

2014 – Uganda, Barack Obama

2014 – Syria, Barack Obama

2017 – Syria, Donald Trump

2020 – Iran, Donald Trump

2021 – Syria, Joe Biden

2021 – Somalia, Joe Biden

2024 – Yemen, Joe Biden

2025 – Yemen, Donald Trump

2026 – Venezuela, Donald Trump

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