Donald Trump Says a Secret ‘Discombobulator’ Was Used When Capturing Venezuela’s Nicolás Maduro

Donald Trump says a mysterious “secret weapon” — which he called “The Discombobulator” — was used during the operation that captured Nicolás Maduro.

Speaking to the New York Post, Trump, 79, claimed the device played a key role in the Jan. 3 raid that led to the arrest of Venezuela’s then-president, saying it caused enemy systems to fail.

“The Discombobulator. I’m not allowed to talk about it,” Trump said, adding that he “would love to.”

According to Trump, the technology prevented Venezuela’s defenses from responding.

“They never got their rockets off. They had Russian and Chinese rockets, and they never got one off. We came in, they pressed buttons, and nothing worked. They were all set for us,” he said, describing equipment that allegedly stopped functioning when the device was used.

A senior U.S. official told CNN that Trump may have been combining multiple capabilities into a single label — and that the weapon he described may not exist as a standalone system. CNN reported that the U.S. used cyber tools and existing acoustic systems during the raid that captured Maduro, 63.

Trump later confirmed he ordered “large-scale strikes” in Venezuela aimed at dismantling Maduro’s regime, in a statement posted on Truth Social on Jan. 3. The statement said Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, were captured and flown out of the country.

Maduro and Flores, 69, were arraigned in a New York court on Jan. 5, according to the report. Maduro was charged with four counts: narco-terrorism conspiracy, cocaine importation conspiracy, possession of machine guns and destructive devices, and conspiracy to possess machine guns and destructive devices. Flores was charged with cocaine importation conspiracy, possession of machine guns and destructive devices, and conspiracy to possess machine guns and destructive devices.

During the arraignment, Maduro spoke in Spanish through an interpreter and told Judge Alvin K. Hellerstein that he was a “prisoner of war” and “not guilty” of the charges.

“I am the president of Venezuela,” Maduro said. “I consider myself a prisoner of war. I was captured at my home in Caracas, Venezuela.”

Trump also issued a warning to Venezuela’s interim leader, Delcy Rodríguez, on Jan. 4, urging her to cooperate with his plans and allow the U.S. “total access” to Venezuela’s natural reserves.