LOADING ERROR LOADINGSecretary of Defense Pete Hegseth on Saturday delivered a series of bragging comments during a press conference about the overnight U.S. military operation in Venezuela that resulted in the capture of President Nicolás Maduro. “This is about the safety, security, freedom and prosperity of the American people,” said Hegseth at the Mar-a-Lago presser. Captured during the overnight operation alongside his wife, Cilia Flores, he is expected to arrive in New York on Saturday. AdvertisementHegseth also glowingly championed Trump for his supposed humanitarian efforts in overthrowing Maduro to prevent U.S. drug deaths, noting — a lot — how “deadly serious” the president was. “President Trump is deadly serious about stopping the flow of gangs, of violence to our country, deadly serious about stopping the flow of drugs and poison to our people, deadly serious about getting back the oil that was stolen from us and deadly serious re-establishing American deterrence and dominance in the Western Hemisphere.”

Source: Huffington Post January 04, 2026 15:09 UTC