Colombia learned very quickly last Sunday that the Trump 2.0 administration is not messing around. Yesterday, Venezuela learned the same lesson.

If this was a movie script, no one would believe it. Richard Grenell, who people should remember as Trump’s former ambassador to Germany and interim Director of National Intelligence in his first term, went to Venezuela and turned around in just mere hours, returning with six Americans being held hostage there. Trump appointed him as a presidential envoy for “special missions,” but no one had any idea what that would actually mean, since it was a brand-new role. The president did indicate that Grenell “will work in some of the hottest spots around the World, including Venezuela and North Korea.” But the first hot spot that Grenell made an appearance at was the wildfires in Los Angeles. He was sitting next to Trump during the meeting with Mayor Karen Bass and other California lawmakers during the discussion about rebuilding after the wildfires. Grenell, a California resident, was right there to listen and advise Trump.

But remember how Grenell was going to be working on “special missions”? Apparently, that job started for him on Day One of Trump 2.0.

. @realDonaldTrump is President of the United States, again.

And diplomacy is back.

I’ve spoken to multiple officials in Venezuela today and will begin meetings early tomorrow morning.

Talking is a tactic. pic.twitter.com/NcvyVLxhuw

— Richard Grenell (@RichardGrenell) January 20, 2025

While we don’t know what those conversations consisted of, we do know that Grenell flew to Venezuela on Friday morning to meet with dictator Nicolas Maduro, who yet again declared himself the winner of the most recent presidential election last July. Ostensibly, Grenell was going to be discussing the return of Venezuelan illegals in the United States.

The visit by Richard Grenell, who U.S. President Donald Trump appointed as an envoy for special missions, may come as a surprise to some Venezuelans who hoped that Trump would continue the “maximum pressure” campaign he pursued against the authoritarian Venezuelan leader during his first term.

Mauricio Claver-Carone, Trump’s special envoy to Latin America, confirmed Grenell’s visit to Caracas in a conference call with journalists on Friday.

He said Grenell, who served as U.S. Ambassador to Germany and acting director of national intelligence during the first Trump administration, was in Venezuela on a “very specific mission” that in no way detracts from the Trump administration’s goal of restoring democracy in the South American nation.

“I would urge the Maduro government, the Maduro regime in Venezuela, to heed special envoy Ric Grenell’s message,” said Claver-Carone, himself a former top national security aide to Trump during his first administration. “Ultimately there will be consequences otherwise.”

The visit comes less than a month after Maduro was sworn in for a third six-year term despite credible evidence that he lost last year’s election by a more than 2-to-1 margin. The U.S. government, along with several other Western nations, does not recognize Maduro’s claim to victory.

Maduro very much does not want some of these illegals back. For example, anyone affiliated with Tren de Aragua, the gang that has been making headlines from Colorado to New York, should be sent back to Venezuela, but they are barred from re-entering the country. I suspect Grenell told Maduro that he has a choice: these gang members either return to Venezuela, or they go to Guantanamo Bay; pick one. But Grenell had another mission. And in less than a day, he was back on his plane with SIX American citizens who were being held in Venezuela as hostages.

Grenell first announced the return on X, followed by the president’s announcement on the same platform.

Just been informed that we are bringing six hostages home from Venezuela. Thank you to Ric Grenell and my entire staff. Great job!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 1, 2025

While in the air, Grenell put out this video of him meeting the American hostages.

“Hello. I’m an American diplomat sent by President Trump and I’m here to bring you home.” pic.twitter.com/mMJ7nDu88s

— Richard Grenell (@RichardGrenell) February 1, 2025

But why were there American hostages in Venezuela in the first place?

After the disputed elections, Mr. Maduro started rounding up foreign prisoners, a move that former. U.S. diplomats and analysts said they saw as seeking bargaining chips to use with other nations.

Mr. Maduro, who has spent his entire tenure blaming Venezuela’s economic woes on U.S. imperialism, talked about starting a new era of engagement with the United States in televised remarks on Friday. He did not directly refer to the released Americans.

“We are starting a new beginning of historical relations where what needs to be done will be done and what needs to be rectified will be rectified,” he said. “We love and admire the people of the United States.”

Mr. Maduro also referred to his meeting with Mr. Grenell as “frank, direct, open and positive” and said: “We are not anti-American nor have we ever been anti-American. We are anti-imperialist, which is different.”

But Mauricio Claver-Carone, the U.S. special envoy for Latin America, said in a call with journalists on Friday morning that Mr. Grenell would not make any concessions in exchange for releasing American detainees.

“This is not a quid pro quo,” he said. “It’s not a negotiation in exchange for anything.” He urged the Maduro government to “heed” to Mr. Grenell’s demands “because ultimately there will be consequences otherwise.”

Those elections were held LAST JULY. The Biden administration, according to the Associated Press, had done a “swap” of ten detained Americans for one Maduro ally who was facing trial in Miami back in December 2023, with alleged promises that Maduro would stop grabbing Americans – a promise he obviously broke. It seems that Maduro got the message that the new sheriff in town was not going to put up with this any longer.

While not all the released hostages have been identified yet, one is known to be David Estrella of New Jersey.

David Estrella, 64, who worked in quality control for pharmaceutical companies in New Jersey, was among those released, according to his family.

“After such horrible moments that we and David have suffered unjustly, we look forward to welcoming him home and taking care of him until he fully recovers and leaves all this unfortunate incident behind him,” said Elvia Macias, Mr. Estrella’s former wife and close friend. He had entered Venezuela from Colombia to visit friends, Ms. Macias said.

There are reports that up to ten Americans were being held by the Maduro regime. That six were allowed to return immediately with Grenell is fantastic news, though it seems that Maduro was unwilling to give up the rest. Three of those being held were arrested last September, accused of “plotting” against Maduro. Are those some of the Americans still in Venezuela? Those are questions yet to be answered.

In the meantime, Grenell can chalk up a win for the Trump administration.

We are home. 🇺🇸

God bless these Americans. pic.twitter.com/L36mNkvEom

— Richard Grenell (@RichardGrenell) February 1, 2025

Donald Trump has been back in office for less than two weeks, and the no-nonsense stick he is wielding in foreign policy is already yielding fruit. Anyone else tired of the winning yet?

Featured image via Pixabay, Pixabay license free for commercial use