Asked why he made the decision to take out Nicolás Maduro, President Trump laid it out plainly. “It just was the right time to do it. We had to do it because it’s a war. We’re losing 300,000 people a year.”

Asked why he made the decision to take out Nicolás Maduro, President Trump laid it out plainly.

“It just was the right time to do it. We had to do it because it’s a war. We’re losing 300,000 people a year.”

Trump then revealed new details from the raid. He said Maduro was holed up in what was essentially a fortress.

“He was in a house that was more like a fortress than a house. It had steel doors, it had what they call a safety space where it’s, you know, solid steel all around.”

Maduro tried to reach that reinforced area as the operation unfolded.

“He didn’t get that space closed. He was trying to get into it, but he got bum rushed so fast that he didn’t get into that.”

The U.S. military was prepared for anything.

“We were prepared. We had, you know, massive blow torches and everything else that you need to get through that steel, but we didn’t need it.”

“He didn’t make it to that area of the house.”