Trump Faces Opposition at Home Over Venezuela Move, Mamdani Calls It an ‘Act of War’

United States President Donald Trump is facing opposition at home for his administration’s decision to capture Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife. New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani said that he spoke with President Trump “directly” to register his opposition to the capture of Maduro and his wife by the US military, as he termed the unilateral attack on a sovereign nation an “act of war”. Maduro is set to face drugs and weapons charges in a Manhattan federal court next week.

Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores have been indicted in the Southern District of New York and are being brought to the city to face the charges against them. They will be lodged at the Metropolitan Detention Centre in Brooklyn.

Responding to a question on the situation in Venezuela and Maduro’s capture at a press conference, Mamdani said he “called the president and spoke with him directly to register my opposition to this act”. “I registered my opposition. I made it clear and we left it at that,” Mamdani said, giving no details of what Trump’s response to him was.

Mamdani said he was briefed Saturday morning by his administration officials, including his chief of staff and the police commissioner, on the US military capture of the Venezuelan president and his wife, as well as their planned imprisonment in federal custody here in New York City.

Mamdani said the “blatant pursuit of regime change” impacts New Yorkers, including Venezuelans who live in the city. “Unilaterally attacking a sovereign nation is an act of war and a violation of federal and international law,” the newly sworn-in mayor said in a statement. “This blatant pursuit of regime change doesn’t just affect those abroad, it directly impacts New Yorkers, including tens of thousands of Venezuelans who call this city home. My focus is their safety and the safety of every New Yorker, and my administration will continue to monitor the situation and issue relevant guidance,” Mamdani said.

US Attorney General Pamela Bondi said in a post on X that Maduro and Flores have been indicted in the Southern District of New York. Maduro has been charged with narco-terrorism conspiracy, cocaine importation conspiracy, possession of machine guns and destructive devices and conspiracy to possess machine guns and destructive devices against the US.

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