NYT Reporter Cold-Called Trump At 4:30 am After Maduro Op. The President Answered

The NYT reporter said he, along with his colleagues, has been covering the Trump administration's pressure campaign against the Maduro government for almost a year.

04 Jan 2026, 11:07 · NDTV

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Within 10 minutes of Trump announcing Maduro had been captured, an NYT reporter cold-called the president
On the third ring, Trump picked up the call at 4:30 am and the two got talking, the NYT reported
"I got in four questions - in 50 seconds - before the president hung up," the NYT reporter said

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Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro, along with his wife, has been captured and flown out of the country, US president Donald Trump announced on social media at 4:21 am on Saturday. Ten minutes later, Tyler Pager, a White House reporter for the New York Times, called Trump. After three rings, the president picked up, and the two were talking, the NYT reported.

Tyler Page, who was staying at Residence Inn by Marriott West Palm Beach Downtown in Florida, said he woke up shortly after 1 am on Saturday morning after his colleague Anatoly Kurmanaev, who is in Venezuela, messaged a group of reporters and editors that Caracas had been bombed.

At least seven blasts were heard in an attack that lasted less than 30 minutes. The targets appeared to include military infrastructure. Smoke was seen rising from the hangar of a military base in Caracas and another military installation in the capital was without power. Maduro and Flores were at their home within the Ft. Tiuna military installation outside Caracas when they were captured.

The operation termed "Absolute Resolve" unfolded under the cover of darkness, with US forces holding fast in the region, awaiting the ideal weather conditions to give pilots clear routes into Caracas. The extensive planning included practice on a replica of the presidential compound, as well as US service members armed with what Trump said were "massive blowtorches" in the event the steel walls of a safe room needed to be cut open to extract the pair.

American officials say Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, will face narco-terrorism charges in US courts.

The NYT reporter said he, along with his colleagues, has been covering the Trump administration's pressure campaign against the Maduro government for almost a year. Earlier, they reported how senior officials were drawing up plans that included trying to capture Maduro, who has been in power since 2013 after taking over from leftist mentor Hugo Chavez.

Maduro, tall with a full mustache and slicked-back graying hair, has long accused Trump of seeking regime change in order to control Venezuela's oil reserves.

"So when the explosions were first reported, we had a strong sense that the United States was involved," the NYT reporter said.

The official confirmation came at 4:21 am, when Trump posted on Truth Social that Maduro had been captured.

"I just called him directly and he picked up. I wasn't that surprised because the president's phone habits are pretty well-documented - he regularly picks up calls from reporters," the NYT said quoting Tyler Page.

The president said "Hello" and the reporter jumped right in, the NYT reported.

"I told him I was calling from The New York Times and had questions about the operation," Page said.

This was the reporter's first time calling the president. He said he had dialled the president only after consulting with his Washington Bureau chief.

"This is the first time I have ever called the president on his cellphone. There is an extremely high bar to reach him directly, and I called him only after consulting with Dick Stevenson, the Washington bureau chief," he said.

"In our brief conversation, he did not complain that I had called. At the same time, he did not really answer my questions, instead directing me to tune into his news conference a few hours later," the reporter said.

Page said he spoke with three people - Dick Stevenson, NYT's Washington Bureau Chief, Eric Schmitt, who covers the military, and Julian Barnes, who covers intelligence - to put together a list of questions for the president.

"I got in four questions - in 50 seconds - before the president hung up," he said.

Asked what did he make of the president answering the phone, Page said: "Mr Trump has been talking to reporters for decades, dating back to his time as a real estate developer in New York. And we know that he likes to be accessible - not just to reporters, but to lawmakers, staff, friends and foreign leaders. It is certainly a different style than that of his predecessors."

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