It comes after Nicolás Maduro and his wife were seized from Caracas and flown to the US. They have since appeared at a New York court.

Trump dismissed the leadership of Venezuela's democratic opposition in favor of Maduro's handpicked vice president, Delcy Rodríguez, now the interim president.

Ex-Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro spent the night in jail after he appeared in a U.S. courtroom — as questions linger about President Trump's plans for Venezuela.

Rep. Dan Goldman of New York accused Trump of using the same “illegal and unconstitutional tactics as Maduro” in the operation, saying that such action “not only undermines our democracy and violates our Constitution but also emboldens dictators around the world.”

The U.S. striking Venezuela and capturing its leader has practical implications for China, Russia, Iran and Cuba, and it also sends messages to each nation.

Seemingly contradictory statements from Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio have suggested at once that the U.S. now controls the levers of Venezuelan power or that the U.S. has no intention of assuming day-to-day governance.

U.S. intelligence suggested María Corina Machado, Venezuela’s opposition leader, would struggle to lead the government. But her relationship with Trump officials had been souring for months.

On Monday’s edition of CNN’s “The Source,” Collins presented side-by-side footage of Trump’s earlier pledges to steer the U.S. clear of foreign entanglements with that of a weekend press briefing in which he defended Saturday’s capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro.