U.S. President Donald J. Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio listen as War Secretary Pete Hegseth speaks during a Jan. 29, 2026, cabinet meeting at the White House. U.S. Secretary of War Pete Hegseth said a U.S. military operation that captured Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores de Maduro, demonstrated U.S. military prowess and reinforced global deterrence. Hegseth described the operation as a complex cross-border raid conducted without detection until explosions preceded helicopter insertions at a secure location. “When President [Donald J.] “That sends a message to every capital around the world that when President [Donald J.]