Trump: Venezuelan Military Members Must Abandon Maduro or ‘Lose Everything’

Says current path toward regime change is 'irreversible'

Delivering another speech in support of Venezuela regime change during his visit to Miami on Monday, President Trump warned Venezuelan military members will “lose everything,” and find “no safe harbor” anywhere in the world if they continue to defy US expectations.

For weeks, Trump has endorsed opposition leader Juan Guaido as the rightful ruler of Venezuela. In practice, President Maduro remains in power, and still has overwhelming loyalty among the military leadership. Officials have conceded that without a shift in the military, an actual regime change is unlikely.

Which is where Trump’s threats come in. Though some in the administration are arguing Trump was referring to secret Venezuelan military official money stashes worldwide, the reality is that most have little but their future and their lives, and that’s what Trump is saying they’ll lose, reiterating that all options are on the table.

Trump went on in the speech to declare the path toward regime change in favor of Guiado to be “irreversible,” and that he intends to stick with these demands, and the threats that go with them, regardless of the lack of progress.

Author: Jason Ditz

Jason Ditz is Senior Editor for Antiwar.com. He has 20 years of experience in foreign policy research and his work has appeared in The American Conservative, Responsible Statecraft, Forbes, Toronto Star, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Providence Journal, Washington Times, and the Detroit Free Press.