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Caracas.- The Venezuelan president, Nicolás Maduro, stated this Monday that his US counterpart, Donald Trump, would "fare better with the world" if he "addressed the issues" of his country and criticized that he dedicates, according to him, "70%" of his speech to Venezuela.
"I think President Trump could do better in his country and in the world. He would do better, right? Within his country with economic and social issues, he would do better with the world if he addressed the issues of his country. Each president in his own thing," Maduro said at an event with producers in Caracas, broadcast by the state channel Venezolana de Televisión (VTV).
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The Chavista leader indicated that "a president cannot be thinking about how he is going to govern other countries" and assured that if he speaks to Trump again, he will tell him. "Imagine if I were to waste my time, instead of being the president of Venezuela, thinking about meddling with other countries to cause them problems and troubles, wanting to rule the world, right? I would be doing very badly," he added. On December 3rd, Maduro reported on a phone call he had with Trump amid growing tensions between Caracas and Washington over the US military deployment in the Caribbean, which Venezuela denounces as a strategy for a "regime change". By then, about "ten days" had passed, according to the president. The call, Maduro said, was "cordial" and in a "tone of respect," but he did not reveal many details of the conversation. Just this Monday, Trump declared that Maduro would be "smart" if he chose to leave power and warned him that if he "plays tough" it will be "the last time" he does it. Trump reiterated, without presenting evidence, his accusation that the Maduro government is flooding the United States with drugs and criminals from Venezuelan prisons. So far, the official goal of the U.S. government's strategy towards Venezuela is to curb drug trafficking and recover the "oil rights" of American companies, but it does not openly speak of deposing Maduro. Venezuela has rejected the accusations of drug trafficking and also denounces as "piracy" that the United States has confiscated two ships that were transporting crude oil in recent days, after the announcement last week of a blockade on sanctioned oil tankers entering and leaving the Caribbean country. The United States said on Sunday that it is maintaining an "active pursuit" to intercept a third oil tanker near the Venezuelan coast.
