Several Evangelical leaders across the country have responded to President Donald Trump’s announcement that the United States has captured dictator Nicolás Maduro during a military strike in Caracas and will run Venezuela until a new transition plan is in place. Offering public praise, leaders, including the Rev. Franklin Graham and Ambassador Mike Huckabee, linked the operation to justice, spiritual deliverance and national security.
Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, were apprehended during an early-morning raid on Saturday in Caracas.
Trump said the mission was carried out without any American casualties or equipment loss. He called it one of the most successful military operations in recent history and announced that the U.S. would oversee Venezuela’s government until a “safe, proper and judicious transition” could occur.
Maduro, previously charged in the U.S. on drug and weapons offenses, was the leader of the Cartel of the Suns and is the first target in the Narcotics Rewards Program to carry a $50 million bounty, according to the U.S. State Department.
Maduro had long been accused of running a narco-terrorism operation in coordination with FARC and other armed groups, and of violently repressing dissent in Venezuela.
On July 28, 2024, an election was held in which Maduro was declared the victor, giving him a third term in office. It was believed worldwide that his authoritarian regime had committed massive fraud to steal the election victory from opposition candidate Edmundo González.
Elvis Amoroso, president of the National Electoral Council and a Maduro ally, had declared that Maduro had won with 51% compared to 44% for González, with only 80% of the votes counted.
Opposition leader María Corina Machado insisted that González, a 74-year-old retired diplomat who took her place on the presidential ballot after the Maduro regime banned her from running, had won 70% of the vote compared to 30% for Maduro.
The following pages list responses from five prominent Evangelical leaders and pastors.
