US President Donald Trump shared the information on social media at 4:21 am on Saturday (January 3, 2026) about the arrest of President Nicolas Maduro along with his wife after military action in Venezuela. About 10 minutes after Trump shared the post, New York Times White House reporter Tyler Pager called President Trump.

According to the New York Times report, when the pager called Trump, the President picked up the call only after three rings and a conversation took place between the two. Pager said that his colleague in Venezuela, Anatoly Kurmanayev, had sent a message in a group that Caracas had been bombed, due to which he woke up at around 1 am on Saturday.

President Trump’s habit of picking up the phone is quite popular

He said, ‘When the news of the blasts first came, we had a strong suspicion that America was involved in it.’ Official confirmation came at 4:21 a.m., when Trump posted on Truth Social that Maduro had been captured.

According to the report, Pager said, ‘I called him directly and he picked up the call. I was not too surprised because President Trump’s phone picking habits are quite famous; he often picks up calls from journalists himself. The President said hello on the phone and I started asking questions without any delay. I told him that I was speaking from NYT and had some questions regarding this operation.

Four questions asked to Trump in 50 seconds

He further said, ‘In our short conversation the President did not complain that I had called him. However, he did not even give a direct answer to my questions and asked me to watch his press conference to be held after a few hours. Pager said, ‘I could ask only four questions in 50 seconds, after which the President disconnected the phone.’

America has arrested Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro along with his wife and has brought them to New York jail. Here a case will be filed against him in many cases including drugs. Trump had made it clear that until there is a stable government in Venezuela, Washington will run Venezuela. However, at present Vice President Delsey Rodriguez has been appointed the interim President.

Also read: ‘If you have the courage, come and take me’, when Venezuelan President Maduro challenged Donald Trump, Video