After Trump ordered the capture of Nicolás Maduro, the President publicly announced that he did not like how the Venezuelan leader tried to copy his dance moves.
Author Michael Wolff recently said that he believes the imitation was one of the reasons why the POTUS decided to attack Venezuela.
While the President was never on good terms with Maduro and accused him of narco-terrorism, the latter’s nonchalant dance moves were the final nail in the coffin. At least, this is what journalist Wolff believes.
Wolff, who is a Trump biographer and has written four books on him, talked about Maduro’s capture on his podcast Inside Trump’s Head. The host jokingly revealed that the POTUS likes to personalize things, and when someone tries to imitate or mock him, it hits his ego hard.
Maduro’s viral “No War, Yes Peace” dance remix backfired HARD. 💃
The internet never forgets—and dictators hate being laughed at.
From strongman to meme in record time. 😂🇺🇸#MAGA pic.twitter.com/pLy7F9iCJO
— Eric Trump Commentary (@erictrumpfan1) January 6, 2026
According to The Irish Star, Wolff said, the President “personalizes these things. It only really works for him if he personalizes it.” He added, “Maduro, remember—they offered him all kinds of stuff, you know, ‘We’ll set you up anywhere you want, you know, a luxurious retirement. And he… completely rejected that and then danced in a mocking fashion.”
The journalist concluded by saying, “It pierces Trump directly when you mock him. The thing you must not do is mock Donald Trump.” The President’s signature moves, which are now called the Trump dance, include slowly punching fists in the air and swaying the hips.
The President is often seen making these gestures in celebration during his rallies. By the end of 2025, while the POTUS was making repeated threats against Venezuela, Maduro seemed calm, and on multiple occasions, was seen grooving to songs and almost imitating the MAGA leader’s moves.
The Republican leader of the nation previously expressed his anger over Maduro’s dance while addressing congressional Republicans earlier in January. The 79-year-old said, “He [Maduro] gets up there, and he tries to imitate my dance a little bit.”
Maduro was captured by the US Army along with his wife after a military operation on the night of January 3, 2026. The attack led to the death of around 100 people in Venezuela. Trump eventually named Maduro’s Vice-President, Delcy Rodríguez, the new interim leader of the oil-rich country.
Maduro’s constant dancing reportedly pushed Trump to storm Caracas
Trump’s team reportedly grew so annoyed by Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro’s public dancing that they took it as mockery and decided to act. After Maduro ignored a U.S. ultimatum and kept brushing off threats &… pic.twitter.com/fE1GlNXmZM
— Complex (@Complex) January 4, 2026
Coming back to Wolff, the journalist has so far published four books about the President: Fire and Fury: Inside the Trump White House (2018), Siege (2019), Landslide (2021), and All or Nothing (2025).
While he is a best-selling author and has won several awards, the White House does not regard him highly. Communications Director Steven Cheung earlier lashed out at Wolff, claiming he fabricated stories about the President.
Cheung said in a statement to The Daily Beast, “He routinely fabricates stories originating from his sick and warped imagination, only possible because he has a severe and debilitating case of Trump Derangement Syndrome that has rotted his peanut-sized brain.”
