US President Donald Trump has claimed American forces used a classified weapon he called “The Discombobulator” during an operation that captured Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro, saying the device disabled Venezuelan equipment and prevented defenses from responding.
Trump made the comments in an interview with the New York Post, describing the system as a pulsed-energy or sonic-style capability used during the raid in Caracas earlier this month. “The Discombobulator. I’m not allowed to talk about it,” Trump said, adding that the weapon made Venezuelan equipment “not work.”
Trump also suggested the technology neutralized missile systems during the operation. “They never got their rockets off. They had Russian and Chinese rockets, and they never got one off,” he said. “We came in, they pressed buttons and nothing worked. They were all set for us.”
The president did not provide technical details or evidence supporting the claim, and the full nature of the device remains unclear. He had previously said that during the raid the US had turned off “almost all of the lights in Caracas,” without explaining how that disruption was carried out.
Trump’s comments came as he reiterated his administration’s broader military campaign against drug trafficking networks, suggesting the US could expand operations beyond South America. “We know their routes. We know everything about them. We know their homes. We know everything about them,” Trump said. “We’re going to hit the cartels.” When asked whether strikes could occur in Mexico or Central America, he answered: “Could be anywhere.”