“We want peace, liberty, and justice for the great people of Venezuela,” President Donald Trump proclaimed in the hours after he sent American forces to arrest and detain that country’s longtime dictator, Nicolás Maduro.
Now, nearly 10 months later, it’s becoming increasingly clear that another reality is taking hold, one in which Venezuelans continue to suffer under the illegitimate leadership of Maduro’s former deputies. And while Trump continues to promise that Venezuelans will one day enjoy freedom, he also boasted to the UN General Assembly last week that American companies are now merrily extracting Venezuelan oil. “To the victor belong the spoils,” Trump said to world leaders gathered in New York.
There have recently been nods toward democracy by Trump and de facto Venezuelan leader Delcy Rodríguez, Maduro’s former vice president. “There will be elections in Venezuela,” Rodríguez said after the UN gathering, and Trump echoed her: “Yes, we talked about elections. By the way, she was very kind and fantastic.” Yet neither mentioned a time frame or any plan for ensuring a legitimate vote of the public. And most notably, it isn’t clear who will be allowed to run.