Who is Nicolas Maduro? The Venezuela president ‘captured’ by Trump’s US forces

Trump’s administration has accused Maduro of leading drug cartels, among other crimes, and has pressured him to step down for months

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, who President Donald Trump claimed had been captured by US forces on Saturday, has long been a figure of international controversy.

Mr Trump’s administration has accused Mr Maduro of leading drug cartels and other serious crimes, having pressured him to step down for months.

Born into a working-class family on 23 November 1962, Mr Maduro’s early life saw him working as a bus driver during the 1992 coup attempt led by Hugo Chavez.

He became a fervent supporter of Chavez’s leftist agenda, campaigning for his release from prison and later securing a seat in the legislature following Chavez's 1998 election victory.

His political ascent continued as he became president of the National Assembly and then foreign minister, leveraging oil-financed assistance programmes to forge international alliances.

Maduro, who was elected in 2013, has seen his tenure marked by a catastrophic economic collapse, characterised by hyperinflation and chronic shortages (Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved)

Named by Chavez as his chosen successor, Mr Maduro was narrowly elected president in 2013 after Chavez’s death.

His tenure has been marked by a catastrophic economic collapse, characterised by hyperinflation and chronic shortages.

His rule is widely associated with allegedly rigged elections, severe food scarcity, and human rights abuses, including brutal crackdowns on protests in 2014 and 2017, which prompted millions of Venezuelans to emigrate.

His government has faced aggressive sanctions from the US and other global powers.

In 2020, Washington indicted him on corruption and other charges, accusations Mr Maduro has consistently rejected.

He was sworn in for a third term in January 2025 following a 2024 election that was broadly condemned as fraudulent by international observers and the opposition, leading to the imprisonment of thousands who protested the declared victory.

Last month, a UN Fact-Finding Mission reported that the country's Bolivarian National Guard (GNB) had committed serious human rights violations and crimes against humanity over more than a decade, often with impunity, targeting political opponents.

The repressive nature of his government was further underscored by the award of the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize to opposition leader Maria Corina Machado.