By Mark Prussin
Updated on: January 3, 2026 / 7:52 PM EST / CBS New York
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani said he told President Trump directly that he opposed the U.S. military’s capture of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro.
Mamdani said he spoke with Mr. Trump on the phone Saturday after being briefed on Maduro’s capture and arrival in New York to be prosecuted on narco-terrorism charges.
“I called the president and spoke with him directly to register my opposition to this act,” Mamdani said, “and to make clear that it was an opposition based on being opposed to a pursuit of regime change, to the violation of federal international law, and a desire to see that be consistent each and every day.”
The mayor, on just his third day in office, was asked about the U.S. military strike in Venezuela during an unrelated news conference in Greenpoint, Brooklyn.
“I registered my opposition. I made it clear and we left it at that,” Mamdani said.
Mayor’s statement on U.S. military operation in Venezuela
Mayor Mamdani released a more detailed statement earlier on X.
“I was briefed this morning on the U.S. military capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, as well as their planned imprisonment in federal custody here in New York City. Unilaterally attacking a sovereign nation is an act of war and a violation of federal and international law. 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,” the mayor’s statement said.
