Donald Trump has reconnected with his chief of staff, Susie Wiles, following her noticeable absence during the high-profile operation at Mar-a-Lago aimed at capturing Nicolas Maduro.
On Tuesday, she was seen alongside Trump on the South Lawn of the White House after their attendance at a House Republican event held at the newly designated Trump-Kennedy Center in Washington, DC.
Wiles and Vice President JD Vance were missing from the White House-released photos depicting a Situation Room-style setting after the early Saturday morning operation.
This absence drew attention given Wiles’ significant role in the administration; Trump often refers to her as ‘the most powerful woman in the world’ and the ‘Ice Maiden’ due to her active involvement in key decisions.
Wiles was present at Mar-a-Lago for meetings with Volodymyr Zelensky on December 28 and Benjamin Netanyahu the following day.
However, she missed the Maduro operation due to a bout with the flu, according to a senior White House official who spoke to the Daily Mail. Despite not being physically present, Wiles was fully briefed on the mission and stayed informed through a secure communication link from her home.
Wiles said last month in a now-infamous Vanity Fair interview that military action in Venezuela would need congressional approval. Elsewhere in the article she said Trump had an ‘alcoholic’s personality.’
Vance was at Trump’s golf club in West Palm Beach on Friday before the strike to discuss the operation. But the VP left before the attack got underway at 1am to avoid a late-night motorcade movement that may have tipped off Venezuelan officials, according to a spokesman.
Donald Trump speaks to White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles as they return to the White House after attending a House Republican event on Tuesday. The Ice Maiden accessorized a cream-colored, double-breasted wool overcoat with a two-tone Rolex Datejust and a Gucci Ophidia Tote
Trump points to something as he chats to Wiles on the lawn at the White House
Susie Wiles speaks to White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt, before Donald Trump addresses House Republicans at the Trump-Kennedy Center, in Washington, DC, on Tuesday
Vice President JD Vance speaks at the Andrew W. Mellon Auditorium, November 20, in Washington, DC
U.S. President Donald Trump points something out to his Chief of Staff Susie Wiles on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, DC
‘The Vice President joined by secure video conference throughout the night to monitor the operation. He returned to Cincinnati after the operation concluded,’ the spokesman added.
Trump was joined in his Mar-a-Lago situation room by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, CIA Director John Ratcliffe, Joint Chiefs of Staff General Dan Caine, and Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller.
The strike was a military triumph, with commentators on the left and right acknowledging the skill in extracting Maduro and his wife from under the noses of his guards at his presidential mansion in Venezuela’s capital.
Not a single American soldier died, while 55 enemy troops were killed.
Questions were immediately raised over the legality of the seizure.
Trump did not seek congressional approval, nor was the action disclosed to the so-called ‘gang of eight’, senior lawmakers from both parties who are often given advanced warning of covert attacks.
The President on Tuesday railed at Democrats for not giving him credit for the successful military action, despite bipartisan agreement that Maduro was an illegitimate leader.
In 2020, Maduro was indicted in the United States, accused in a decades-long narco-terrorism and international cocaine trafficking conspiracy.
Biden’s administration in his final days in office last year raised the award for information leading to Maduro’s arrest, White House officials have noted.
‘You know, at some point, they should say, “You know, you did a great job. Thank you. Congratulations.” Wouldn’t it be good?’ Trump said. ‘I would say that if they did a good job, their philosophies are so different. But if they did a good job, I’d be happy for the country. They’ve been after this guy for years and years and years.’
Trump’s latest comments came after Rubio and other top officials briefed leaders in Congress late Monday.
Lawmakers have expressed concerns Trump is embarking on a new era of American expansionism without consulting Congress on his plans.
After the briefing, House Speaker Mike Johnson told reporters he does not expect the United States to deploy troops to Venezuela, adding this was ‘not regime change.’
This image posted on US President Donald Trump’s Truth Social account on January 3, 2026, shows Maduro onboard the USS Iwo Jima after the US military captured him
Explosions tore across Caracas during the daring raid early Saturday morning as shown in a video posted by Trump on his Truth Social account
Democratic leaders claimed the session lacked clarity.
Americans are split about the capture of Maduro, with many still forming opinions, according to a poll conducted by JL Partners on behalf of the Daily Mail.
The poll found that 43 percent of registered voters were supportive of Trump’s military action that took place on January 3, while 36 percent were opposed to it.
Maduro pleaded not guilty to federal drug trafficking charges in New York on Monday.
American special forces captured Maduro and his wife early Saturday in a raid on a compound where they were surrounded by Cuban guards. Maduro’s deputy, Delcy Rodriguez, has been sworn in as Venezuela’s acting president.
Trump has said that his administration will now ‘run’ Venezuela policy and would press the country’s leaders to open its vast oil reserves to American energy companies.
