Former US President Donald Trump hosted a celebratory dinner at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida on Saturday night, attended by a crowd of adoring Venezuelan expatriates, to mark the capture of Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro.
Lavish Celebration with Exiles and Musk
Videos shared on social media by Venezuelan influencers showed emotional scenes as they hugged Trump and thanked him for what they described as freeing their country from a despot. Attendees included Latina artists Anirays Bolivar Camino and Adina Banea, as well as influencer Victoria Herrera.
Bolivar Camino called it "an honour" to be "the first Venezuelan to thank Donald Trump" for the capture of Maduro, who had controlled Venezuela for 13 years. The event also featured a notable appearance by tech billionaire Elon Musk, signalling a reconciliation after a public feud in the summer of 2025.
Trump entered the dining room to rapturous applause, spoke with attendees, and posed for photographs. The White House declined to comment on the private event.
Global Repercussions of the Raid
The capture itself was a dramatic military operation. Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, were seized by the US Army's elite Delta Force during airstrikes in Caracas around 2am local time on Saturday. Residents reported explosions, loud noises, and columns of smoke across the capital.
Speaking to The New York Times just nine minutes after announcing the raid, Trump praised the mission, calling it "a brilliant operation" carried out by "great troops and great people." When asked if he had consulted Congress beforehand, he replied, "We'll discuss that."
Venezuelan Diaspora Reaction and Crisis Background
While world leaders have reacted with unease and condemnation, the celebratory tone of Trump's party was mirrored in Venezuelan expatriate communities worldwide. In cities from Santiago, Chile, to Doral, Florida, jubilant crowds took to the streets, waving US and Venezuelan flags, singing, and dancing.
One celebrant in Chile declared, "We are free... the dictatorship has fallen." Another in Florida stated, "Today, justice is being served for all the Venezuelans who left our country."
This reaction is set against a backdrop of profound national crisis. More than eight million Venezuelans have fled the country since 2014 due to extreme violence, hyperinflation, gang warfare, and severe food shortages. The United Nations considers this one of the world's largest displacement crises.
