JD Vance skips Trump’s Venezuela spotlight, but aide says he was ‘deeply involved’ behind the scenes

By Fox News · Fox News

Vice President JD Vance was not physically present at President Donald Trump’s news conference announcing the capture of Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro because of heightened security and secrecy concerns, according to a spokesperson, despite being closely involved in the planning and execution of the operation. Trump briefed the press on the mission hours after Maduro was taken into U.S. custody, flanked by Secretary of State Marco Rubio , War Secretary Pete Hegseth and chairman of the joint chiefs, Gen. Dan Caine. Vance publicly praised the operation on X but did not attend the briefing. Vance did meet with Trump at Mar-a-Lago on Friday to discuss the strikes, but was not at Trump’s golf club Friday night where senior Trump officials monitored the mission because the national security team "was concerned a late-night motorcade movement by the Vice President while the operation was getting underway may tip off the Venezuelans." "The Vice President joined by secure video conference throughout the night to monitor the operation. He returned to Cincinnati after the operation concluded." TRUMP VOWS US WILL 'RUN' VENEZUELA UNTIL 'SAFE' TRANSITION OF POWER Due to "increased security concerns," Trump and Vance are limiting the "frequency and duration" of time they spend together outside of the White House, the Vance spokesperson told Fox News Digital. "Maduro is the newest person to find out that President Trump means what he says," Vance wrote on X after the operation was made public. "And PSA for everyone saying this was ‘illegal’: Maduro has multiple indictments in the United States for narco-terrorism. You don't get to avoid justice for drug trafficking in the United States because you live in a palace in Caracas," he wrote in a separate post. Trump, during his news conference, revealed that the U.S. will " run" Venezuela until a "safe, orderly" transition of power can take place. Pressed on whether U.S. forces would remain inside the country, Trump did not rule out…