The news that U.S. forces captured Venezuelan dictator Nicolás Maduro unleashed a flood of memes across social media, with users — and even the White House — ridiculing the deposed leader.
On the platform X, meme posts went viral almost immediately after the announcement. Everyday users, influencers, and meme accounts shared countless humorous takes on Maduro’s capture, often imagining the event from the dictator’s point of view or poking fun at his predicament.
Some memes drew contrasts between how different groups reacted to the news, particularly between Western leftists and Venezuelans celebrating the dramatic turn of events. Argentine Chief of the Cabinet of Ministers Manuel Adorni posted a tongue‑in‑cheek image referencing the video game Counter‑Strike 1.6, pairing a game character with a photo of Maduro being transported to U.S. custody.
Brazilian journalist Allan dos Santos shared an AI‑generated meme video depicting “Madurinhno” (“Lil’ Maduro”) as a wanted character, joking that the captured dictator had “a $50 million reward and lots of stories to tell,” and urging viewers to “take him to base, interrogate him, and show him who’s boss.”
Many memes zoomed in on Maduro’s appearance during his transfer to U.S. territory, turning screenshots into humorous edits and viral reactions. Streamer Guy Beahm, known online as “Dr. DisRespect,” even changed his X profile photo to an image of Maduro after repeated tagging — joking that it “isn’t funny” despite clearly leaning into the joke.
Others focused on President Donald Trump and senior U.S. officials like Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, celebrating the operation or lampooning the moment in various creative ways.
By Sunday morning, meme traffic was still surging. Searching X for “Maduro” using the “Top” or “Media” filters offered a real‑time feed of the latest meme content, much of it mocking the fallen Venezuelan leader and highlighting reactions from around the globe.
