President Donald Trump confirmed that a new secret weapon he dubbed “The Discombobulator” played a decisive role in the January 3 capture Venezuelan strongman Nicolás Maduro, marking the first official acknowledgment of the technology’s existence.
In an interview with the New York Post, Trump said the classified weapon disabled Venezuelan defenses as United States helicopters entered Caracas to seize Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, on federal narcotics and weapons charges.
“The Discombobulator. I’m not allowed to talk about it,” Trump said from the Oval Office, before confirming its use. “They never got their rockets off. They pressed buttons and nothing worked.”
American officials had not publicly disclosed the use of any unconventional weapons for the Venezuela operation, but the president was questioned about the subject while discussing the raid.
Trump’s remarks provide new confirmation of what American and Venezuelan sources have previously suggested: U.S. forces neutralized air defenses, communications, and command systems before inserting a small assault team into the capital.
The 88-minute operation resulted in no American casualties, according to the Pentagon. While details of the weapon remain classified, Trump said Venezuelan forces were unable to respond despite being armed with foreign-supplied weaponry. “They had Russian and Chinese rockets,” Trump said. “They were all set for us. And nothing worked.”
In the days immediately following the raid, accounts from Venezuelan security personnel described severe physical effects among the defenders during the operation, with multiple witnesses reporting disorientation and incapacitation during the brief engagement. While those claims could not be independently verified at the time, Trump’s confirmation that a classified weapon was used seems to answer the unexplained aspects of the raid.
“At one point, they launched something; I don’t know how to describe it. It was like a very intense sound wave. Suddenly I felt like my head was exploding from the inside,” one witness said, per the Post.
Those early accounts from Venezuelan security personnel also described sudden system failures and a rapid collapse of organized resistance as U.S. forces entered Caracas. Several individuals who said they were present claimed that radar and defensive systems shut down without warning, leaving Maduro’s guards unable to respond before helicopters and drones appeared overhead.
United States military officials had previously declined to describe the technology involved, but have acknowledged that Venezuelan defensive systems were disabled before helicopters and drones entered the area. Officials say the operation resulted in the deaths of hundreds of Maduro loyalists.
Maduro, 63, is now being held in a federal detention facility in Brooklyn awaiting trial on narcoterrorism charges. His longtime ally Delcy Rodríguez has assumed the role of interim president.
White House officials have characterized the operation as a demonstration of the United States military dominance and technological superiority. Press secretary Karoline Leavitt said the mission should serve as a warning to adversaries considering confrontation with the United States.
While Trump declined to elaborate further on the “Discombobulator,” his confirmation that a secret system was deployed has renewed scrutiny of how emerging electronic and energy-based weapons are reshaping modern warfare and how much of that capability remains deliberately out of public view.
