New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, having been sworn in only on January 1, 2026, made headlines by revealing that he had a direct telephone conversation with President Donald Trump to vehemently express his opposition to the bold U.S. military operation that resulted in the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores during a surprise pre-dawn raid in Caracas on January 3.

In strong terms, Mamdani condemned the unilateral military intervention as nothing short of an "act of war" and a serious violation of both federal and international law, arguing that such aggressive pursuit of regime change carries direct consequences for New York City residents, particularly the tens of thousands of Venezuelan immigrants who could face heightened anxiety or community tensions.

U.S. Attorney General Pamela Bondi publicly confirmed the long-standing indictment against the couple in the Southern District of New York, detailing grave charges such as narco-terrorism conspiracy, large-scale cocaine importation, and possession of machine guns and destructive devices, while commending President Trump for his decisive leadership and the military for executing a flawless high-risk mission.

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Upon being briefed early Saturday morning by key administration officials, including his chief of staff and the NYPD commissioner, about the details of the capture and the impending transfer of Maduro and Flores to federal custody within New York City, Mamdani chose to keep specifics of his exchange with Trump private, stating only that he had clearly and firmly registered his objections before ending the call.

Democratic Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi, a senior member of the House Intelligence Committee, sharply criticized the operation for bypassing congressional authorization, asserting that even acknowledging Maduro's illegitimacy and the suffering he inflicted on Venezuelans does not grant the executive unchecked power, warning that such actions undermine constitutional separation of powers, diminish American global credibility, and could encourage adversaries like Russia and China to test boundaries elsewhere.

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