TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — President Donald Trump on Monday distanced himself from his own comments that signaled an openness to talks with Venezuelan strongman Nicolás Maduro — but the reversal is unlikely to prevent a political mess in Florida and still complicates the GOP’s 2020 attempt to brand Democrats as socialists.
“Unlike the radical left, I will ALWAYS stand against socialism and with the people of Venezuela,” Trump tweeted Monday morning. “My Admin has always stood on the side of FREEDOM and LIBERTY and against oppressive Maduro regime!”
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That contradicts comments he made in an interview with Axios in which he second-guessed his own administration’s decision to recognize opposition leader Juan Guaidó as the South American country’s legitimate president. On the potential Maduro meeting, he said “you lose very little with meetings.”
The interview, published Sunday night, immediately sent shockwaves through Florida’s political ecosystem, especially in South Florida, which is home to more than 400,000 Hispanics of Venezuelan origin. Many of those are expats who fled Maduro’s socialist regime. During a briefing Monday, White House spokesperson Kayleigh McEnany clarified that, despite his comments, Trump continues to view Guaidó as Venezuela’s legitimate leader.
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https://www.politico.com/states/florida/story/2020/06/22/trumps-maduro-comments-create-political-mess-in-must-win-florida-1294075
