Venezuela strikes draw praise from golf legend

Legendary pro golfer Greg Norman on Wednesday praised President Donald Trump for the U.S. action in Venezuela that led to the capture of Nicolás Maduro and his wife.

Norman, the two-time British Open champion and former LIV Golf CEO, spoke to “Fox & Friends” host Steve Doocy in Florida and had glowing remarks about how the U.S. handled the situation in the South American country.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COM

Greg Norman before the final round of LIV Golf Miami tournament at Trump National Doral on Aug. 7, 2024. (Reinhold Matay/USA Today Sports)

“He’s true to his word,” Norman said. “And I said this during his first term, I’ve known quite a few presidents but he’s the first president I’ve spent time with that has true stars and stripes flowing through his blood.

“So, what he did in Venezuela, I applaud it. That timing, the execution of it just showed the pure strength and the might and the will of the United States to protect their hemisphere and they should protect their backyard.”

PRO GOLFER JHONATTAN VEGAS WEIGHS IN AFTER TRUMP ORDERS ‘LARGE SCALE STRIKE’ IN VENEZUELA

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro greets his supporters during a rally in Caracas on Dec. 1, 2025. (Pedro Mattey/Anadolu via Getty Images)

Trump announced on Jan. 3 that U.S. special forces conducted a “large-scale strike” against Caracas, and seized Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores. Both were taken to New York and appeared in a Manhattan federal court Jan. 5 on drug charges, where they each pleaded not guilty.

The raid came after months of pressure on Venezuela and more than two dozen strikes in Latin American waters against alleged drug traffickers as part of Trump’s effort to crack down on the influx of drugs into the U.S.

The Trump administration routinely stated that it did not recognize Maduro as a legitimate head of state and said he was the leader of a drug cartel. Likewise, Trump said in December 2025 he believed it would be “smart” for Maduro to step down.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

The Trump administration has justified seizing Maduro as a “law enforcement” operation, and Secretary of State Marco Rubio said congressional approval wasn’t necessary since the operation didn’t amount to an “invasion.”

Fox News’ Diana Stancy contributed to this report.

Follow Fox News Digital’s sports coverage on X and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.