Machado: If I gain power, I will turn Venezuela into an energy hub for the US.
According to the EFE news agency, Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado praised US President Donald Trump for his “courageous actions” that led to the kidnapping of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro.
Of course, it is not surprising that Machado, who has always been a supporter of war and US aggression against her country, praised the Trump administration’s aggression as a courageous act.
Recalling that she dedicated her Nobel Peace Prize to Trump, Machado stated that she intends to return to Venezuela as soon as possible. She clarified that she has not spoken to Trump since the US kidnapped Maduro.
Machado claimed that the opposition he led would transform Venezuela into an energy hub for the Americas, restore the rule of law to ensure the security of foreign investment, and facilitate the return of Venezuelans who he said fled the country during the Maduro regime.
The opposition leader claimed that his movement would win “more than 90 percent of the vote” in free and fair elections.
Machado’s motivations for seizing power come at a time when, contrary to many predictions from the movement, Trump has refused to publicly support him, stating that he does not have enough support in Venezuela to lead the country.
Machado has repeatedly and explicitly stated his support for a US military presence in the Caribbean to defeat the Venezuelan government. In addition, he has called on the US Drug Enforcement Administration, the National Security Agency and other US federal agencies to “expose Maduro’s crimes” and “inform the world about the criminal nature of the crisis in Venezuela.”
Following the attacks on Venezuelan soil by US forces on Saturday morning (January 3, 2021), Trump announced the kidnapping of Maduro and his wife.
Venezuela’s Supreme Constitutional Court then ruled that Vice President Delcy Rodriguez would assume the interim presidency of Venezuela.
In a telephone interview with NBC News on Tuesday morning, Trump said about Rodriguez, who was sworn in as interim president of the country, that Rodriguez was cooperating with US authorities, but that there had been no contact between his camp and the US side before Maduro’s kidnapping.
The US president added that a decision would be made soon on whether to lift or extend sanctions against Rodriguez.
Trump warned that the United States could launch another military strike on Venezuela if Rodriguez stopped cooperating with U.S. officials, but added that he did not think such action would be necessary.
He also said of the possibility of holding elections in Venezuela within a month: “We have to fix the country first. We can’t have elections. There’s no way people are even going to be able to vote. No, it’s going to take a while. We have to nurse this country back to health.”