US President Donald Trump has met with Fabiana Rosales, wife of Venezuela’s interim President Juan Guaido, as Venezuelans endured a third day of a near-nationwide blackout.
It is the second outage of that scale to paralyze the country this month, leaving public offices and schools shuttered.
The government has provided no official information on how much of the country was affected, but has blamed the blackouts on US “cybernetic” attacks and opposition “sabotage” and “terrorism.” Experts estimate the power outages are costing the Venezuelan economy some $200 million (€177 million) per day.
Hoy nos recibió el Presidente de los EE.UU @realDonaldTrump y el Vicepresidente @mike_pence conversamos junto a nuestro embajador @carlosvecchio sobre la situación en Venezuela.
Gracias al gobierno de los EE.UU por su solidaridad y apoyo al pueblo venezolano. pic.twitter.com/rCucrV2a4p
— Fabiana Rosales (@FabiiRosales) March 27, 2019
‘Russia has to get out’
Acting President Nicolas Maduro remains entrenched in power, and Trump’s meeting with Rosales in Washington is part of the opposition’s efforts to solicit international support, with Guaido unable to travel freely.
“Today, in Venezuela it is freedom or dictatorship, it is life or death,” Rosales said at the White House on Wednesday. “It is the children who are paying the price.”
Trump blasted Maduro, saying “everything is broken” in Venezuela, citing a precipitous fall in oil exports and the chronic power and water shortages.
“They have plenty of pressure right now… Other than military, you cannot get more pressure than they have,” Trump said about the Maduro government.
The US president also addressed this week’s arrival of Russian military personnel in Venezuela, saying “Russia has to get out.” Asked how he would make Russian forces leave, Trump said “we’ll see, all options are open.”
Rising star
Prior to the US visit, Rosales traveled to Peru and Chile, where she met with the presidents of both countries and spoke at universities about Venezuela’s humanitarian crisis.
The 26-year-old Rosales met Guaido at a youth rally for the opposition party Voluntad Popular. She has gained notoriety in recent months, appearing regularly at her husband’s side during rallies and speeches.
