Trump Honors Special Forces for Maduro Capture at Fort Bragg

President Donald Trump visited Fort Bragg in North Carolina on Friday to honor U.S. special forces operators for their role in a January 3 raid that captured Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and removed him from power. Speaking to soldiers and their families at the Army base, Trump described the operation as a precise demonstration of American military strength that has restored global respect for the United States and instilled fear among its adversaries.

Accompanied by First Lady Melania Trump, the president met privately with military families before delivering his remarks. He praised the operators involved, calling them some of the greatest soldiers to ever serve and referring to Maduro as an outlaw dictator who was swiftly taken into custody to face U.S. drug smuggling charges. "It was a matter of minutes before he was on a helicopter being taken out," Trump said. "That night, the entire world saw what the full military might of the U.S. military is capable of. It was so precise, so incredible."

Trump pledged to keep the U.S. armed forces as the best led, best trained, and most elite fighting unit in history. Addressing the troops directly, he said, "Your commander in...