‘Trump will fall seriously ill’: Peru shamans’ 2026 prediction resurfaces after Maduro's 'removal' prophecy comes true

A year-end ritual and a prediction suddenly colliding with real geopolitics.

• Peruvian shamans predicted Trump will fall seriously ill in 2026
• Forecast of Maduro's removal resurfaces after US captures him this month
• Shamans warned of environmental shocks, gave mixed predictions on Ukraine war.

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A group of Peruvian shamans has predicted that US President Donald Trump will 'fall seriously ill' in 2026, an annual New Year ritual forecast that is now drawing fresh attention after the United States captured Venezuela’s President Nicolas Maduro in a military operation this month.

The shamans’ comments were made in late December during their yearly ceremony near Lima, where they present forecasts for world leaders and conflicts, Reuters reported.

In their New Year's prediction, Peruvian shamans said that the fall of Maduro, the end of Ukranian War and a major illness for President Trump will all happen in 2026. pic.twitter.com/sKrEv7yZLz

— Crazy Ass Moments in LatAm Politics (@AssLatam) January 3, 2026

What the shamans said about Trump

Speaking at the ritual, shaman Juan de Dios Garcia said, via Reuters: “The United States should prepare itself because Donald Trump will fall seriously ill.”

The prediction landed in a news environment already sensitive to Trump’s health after the White House disclosed in July 2025 that he was diagnosed with chronic venous insufficiency, following questions about leg swelling and visible bruising on his hands.

What they predicted about Maduro and why it’s being resurfaced now

The same group also forecast that Maduro would be removed and exiled, with one shaman saying they had 'visualised' Trump being able to remove him in 2026, according to Reuters.

Days into the new year, that prophecy is being recirculated because the US carried out a strike-and-capture operation in Venezuela and transferred Maduro to New York to face US federal charges, Reuters and AP reported.

That operation has triggered a separate, serious debate: legality and precedent. The UN has discussed concerns about international law and sovereignty after the raid, according to Reuters.

Other forecasts: Ukraine war and climate warnings

The shamans also offered conflicting predictions on the Russia–Ukraine war: Garcia suggested an end could be in sight, while another participant, Ana María Simeón, said the war would continue, Reuters reported.

They also warned of environmental shocks, including earthquakes and climate-related phenomena, in line with the ritual’s usual mix of geopolitics and disaster forecasting.

The context most stories skip: their record is mixed, but one call was eerily accurate

The ritual has produced hit-and-miss forecasts in past years. AP noted that a past prediction that the Ukraine war would end in 2023 did not come true.

But the same group correctly predicted in December 2023 that former Peruvian President Alberto Fujimori would die within 12 months; he died in September 2024.

What this is and what it isn’t

These forecasts are not evidence-based forecasting. They’re a cultural ritual that becomes news when it collides with real-world events as it has this month with Venezuela.

The harder, verifiable story now sits elsewhere: what the US operation against Maduro means legally, diplomatically and for regional stability, questions that the UN debate has already forced into the open.