In a dramatic moment that emphasized the seriousness of the operation, President Donald Trump sat at the helm of the Mar-A-Lago situation room, surrounded by senior military and government officials. His unwavering focus was evident as commandos embarked on a mission in Venezuela, successfully extracting Nicolás Maduro.

The White House released a striking black-and-white photo capturing the scene, yet some key figures were conspicuously missing. Their absence highlighted those who played crucial roles in the success of the operation.

At the time, President Trump was residing at Mar-a-Lago, prompting the assembly of top officials in a temporary sensitive compartmented information facility (SCIF) within his Palm Beach estate. This was the headquarters from which they observed the military execute what was dubbed ‘Operation Absolute Resolve.’

Seated prominently to the president’s right was CIA Director John Ratcliffe, while Secretary of State Marco Rubio was positioned on his left. Also present was Stephen Miller, Deputy Chief of Staff and a close adviser to the president on matters concerning Venezuela.

Notably absent from the gathering was Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, who had previously voiced strong opposition to military intervention in Venezuela during President Trump’s initial term. The reasons for her absence remain unclear, though inquiries were made to her spokesperson by the Daily Mail for clarification.

Similarly, Chief of Staff Susie Wiles was not present. Her absence was particularly notable because she had publicly stated in November that any military action in Venezuela would require congressional approval—a step the Trump administration bypassed with this substantial strike on the country.

Vice President JD Vance was also nowhere to be seen at Trump’s Florida resort Friday night, instead monitoring the operation from another location.

The scenes during the daring mission were reminiscent of previous high-stakes national security moments, such as the famous photo of President Barack Obama and his advisers monitoring the military strike to take out terrorist leader Osama bin Laden. 

In the 2011 situation room photo of Obama, the then-Vice President Joe Biden was seen sat next to the Democrat president, who was flanked by then-Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and other top government and military officials.

 The White House released photos Saturday afternoon of President Donald Trump (center left) at a Mar-a-Lago surrounded by key aides including CIA Director John Ratcliffe (left), Secretary of State Marco Rubio (right of Trump) and Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller (right)

The president’s advisers monitor details of the successful military mission at Mar-a-Lago

President Donald Trump’s pictures from his temporary ‘situation room’ at Mar-a-Lago were compared to this image from the actual White House Situation Room showing members of the Obama administration watching the Osama bin Laden raid in 2011

US President Donald Trump (C), alongside CIA Director John Ratcliffe (L) and Secretary of State Marco Rubio (R), watching ‘Operation Absolute Resolve’

Also present in Trump’s situation room were Secretary of War Pete Hegseth and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Dan Caine, America’s highest-ranking military officer. 

Photos published by the White House showed the president’s military advisers pointing out details of the raid to the president and monitoring their laptop computers.

Hegseth was wearing a quarter-zip fleece under his suit coat while Caine was in civilian clothes, instead of his military uniform.

Rubio, who was deeply involved with Friday night’s operation, spent most of his Christmas vacation with the president to advise him on a host of foreign policy issues. 

As the president’s national security adviser, Rubio received rave reviews from Trump shortly before Christmas for a lengthy press conference he gave setting out the administration’s foreign policy priorities.

Days earlier, the president had made final preparations to launch the mission, but his military leaders were waiting for the right conditions to strike. 

Lena Shyrokova, a guest who was at Mar-a-Lago after attending the president’s New Year’s Eve party, told Daily Mail she did not notice any more heightened security than usual. 

‘It was a very festive evening and everybody was in amazing spirits,’ she said. ‘Everyone was very friendly and nice to each other … lots of dancing and fun.’

But after the party was over and many of the guests had left Mar-a-Lago, Trump gave the final order to launch on Friday, 10:46 p.m. ET.

The weekend raid was long anticipated by officials within the president’s Cabinet, but many were not personally present as the commander-in-chief launched the operation.

The late night raid kicked off on the final weekend of the holiday season, as some of the president’s closest staff members were still away due to previously scheduled vacations.

Vice President JD Vance had traveled from Cincinnati to the president’s golf club in Palm beach on Friday morning and spoke briefly with the president about the upcoming strikes, a spokesman to the vice president told the Daily Mail.

A handout picture made available by the White House Press Office shows US President Donald Trump alongside US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth (left) and CIA Director John Ratcliffe (center), watching ‘Operation Absolute Resolve’

handout picture made available by the White House Press Office shows US President Donald Trump (R) alongside CIA Director John Ratcliffe (L), watching ‘Operation Absolute Resolve’,

The vice president remained off-site and did not travel to Mar-a-Lago for the operation, as news of his motorcade arriving at the club might have tipped off Venezuelans who were closely monitoring the president for any movement.

Vance monitored the operation with a secured video conference at an undisclosed location away from Mar-a-Lago before returning to Cincinnati.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt and White House communications director Stephen Cheung spoke to the president prior to the raid and after, coordinating the president’s press response remotely according to a White House official.

Attorney General Pam Bondi monitored the raid from CENTCOM in Tampa, Florida, a senior administration official said.

She announced Saturday on social media that both Maduro and his wife Cilia had been indicted in the Southern District of New York.

White House chief of staff Susie Wiles was not at Mar-a-lago a White House official confirmed, but did not specify where she was.

‘Susie was also obviously read in from the beginning and played a key role,’ the official told the Daily Mail.

The White House stressed that everyone on the president’s team was involved with the successful mission, even if they were not personally with the president at Mar-a-Lago. 

‘Everyone named in this story played a key role in the operation’s incredible and historic success,’ White House deputy press secretary Anna Kelly told the Daily Mail. 

On Saturday the president was joined by Miller, Ratcliffe, Rubio, Hegseth, and Caine at his press conference at Mar-a-Lago where he gave further details the operation.

Caine, by then wearing his military uniform, revealed a timeline of the mission, earning high praise for the president.

US President Donald Trump sitting next to US Secretary of State Marco Rubio as they watch the US military operation in Venezuela

General Dan Cain details the mission operations to President Trump at Mar-a-Lago

A photograph posted by US President Donald Trump on his Truth Social account shows him in the room with his closest military advisors on the mission in Venezuela 

‘This guy is fantastic,’ Trump said about Cain, praising him for the ‘most precise’ mission.

FBI Director Kash Patel, Senator Bernie Moreno, and the president’s friend Steve Witkoff were spotted at the press conference but did not join the president on stage for details of the successful mission.

The president called on Rubio multiple times during the press conference asking him to detail what the United States had in store for Venezuela and other countries in the region like Cuba.

Trump had nothing but praise for his team who helped operate the successful mission, but as the press conference continued, it was clear the work was not finished.

His team would be ‘running’ Venezuela, the president confirmed, until it was ‘back on track.’

‘Well, it’s largely going to be for a period of time, the people that are standing right behind me,’ he told the press. ‘We’re gonna be running it. We’re gonna be bringing it back.’