United States President Donald Trump blames the actions of previous administrations have led to the current crisis in Venezuela and promised Fabiana Rosales, the wife of Venezuelan opposition leader and self-proclaimed interim president Juan Guaido, in a meeting at the White House that would “fix” the country’s ongoing crisis.
President Donald Trump, right, speaks during a meeting with Fabiana Rosales, left, a Venezuelan activist who is the wife of Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaidó, in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, Wednesday, March 27, 2019. Susan Walsh / AP Photo
During the meeting, Trump reportedly lamented the humanitarian crisis in Venezuela, saying that previous presidents and their teams should have been “more forward thinking.”
“These are things that should never have been allowed to happen,” Trump said. “But I’ll fix it.”
The president, in the White House Oval Office meeting, sought to assure Fabiana Rosales and the wife of Guaidó’s chief of staff, who has been detained by the Maduro regime, that things would “all work out,” McClatchy reports.
Speaking to the US president, Rosales described the situation in Venezuela as “a terrible crisis,” saying children and elderly people had died as a result. She also said she is afraid for her husband’s life following an attack on his car by angry citizens on Monday (March 26).
“What they don’t know is when they do that, they’re pushing us forward,” Rosales said. “We will not rest. We are here to save lives and to give back freedom. We want to save our children; we want to save our elderly who are the ones who are suffering. This is what Venezuela is going through.”
The Trump administration is attempting go keep US attention on the crisis in Venezuela and increase pressure on Venezuela’s elected President Nicolas Maduro, who maintains control over the country and its military.
Trump warned Russia against meddling after Moscow sent military personnel to Caracas, saying, “Russia has to get out.” Pence earlier called Russia’s action an “unwelcome provocation.”
In Washington, Rosales also met with members of US Congress, including Senators Marco Rubio, Bob Menendez and Rick Scott, and Democratic and Republican Representatives, including Mario Diaz-Balart, who has spoken out on the issue, calling the Venezuelan crisis a threat to US national security.
“This is more dangerous for our national security than a lot of things in the Middle East that have gotten more attention in recent years,” he said, according to McClatchy.
In the meantime, Guaido has called for “tactical actions” as a part of his “Operation Freedom” — an attempt to spark a nationwide revolution — to take place on April 6.
The crisis in Venezuela reached its climax after Guaido declared himself “interim president” on January 23, with Maduro as the country’s legitimate head denouncing the self-proclamation and accusing Washington, which imposed new limitations on Caracas, of plotting a coup against him.
