US used secret weapon to disable Venezuelan equipment in Maduro raid: Trump

President Donald Trump has revealed that the United States used a classified wonder-weapon he calls the 'Discombobulator' during its operation to capture former Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro — a claim that manages to sound simultaneously top secret and suspiciously like something a Saturday morning cartoon villain might shout before pushing a big red button.

In a Friday, 24 January interview with the New York Post, Trump confirmed reports that the US possesses a pulsed-energy device and declared, with his trademark blend of secrecy and over-sharing: “The Discombobulator. I’m not allowed to talk about it.”

He then proceeded to talk about it, asserting that the weapon disabled Venezuelan defences: “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.”

Trump has previously claimed the US managed to shut off most of the lights in Caracas during the raid, though — naturally — would not explain how. Apparently the Discombobulator has auxiliary mood-lighting settings.

The president also renewed his vow to strike drug cartels, not just in South America but potentially “anywhere”, including north across the border: “We know their routes. We know everything about them… We’re going to hit the cartels.” Asked directly if that included Central America or Mexico, he replied: “Could be anywhere.”

On Friday, the US hit what officials described as a drug-trafficking boat in the eastern Pacific — the first such action since Maduro’s capture and one of at least 36 strikes in the Caribbean and eastern Pacific since early September 2025, resulting in at least 117 deaths.

Trump also revealed that the US has seized seven Venezuelan oil tankers and removed their cargo, but declined to disclose their current location “I’m not allowed to tell you… But let’s put it this way, they don’t have any oil. We take the oil.”

The president further disclosed that the Nobel Peace Prize awarded to Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado, which she handed him earlier this month, remains propped against a statue in the Oval Office while he decides where to hang it — interior design being the real test of modern leadership.

Trump also touted the framework of a new Arctic security agreement with NATO chief Mark Rutte, claiming it would allow the US to take ownership of land where American bases are located. Leaders in Denmark and Greenland immediately dismissed the notion, reiterating that sovereignty is not up for negotiation, and NATO clarified that no such compromise has been discussed. The Arctic, for its part, remains unmoved.

Finally, Trump confirmed he will not attend the Super Bowl, calling it a “terrible choice” for performers Bad Bunny and Green Day, marking a rare moment in which the president voluntarily skipped a crowd.

With AP/PTI inputs