Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro announced during an interview that he has reason to believe that President Donald Trump has ordered a hit on him. The Venezuelan president made the claim during an interview with the RIA News Agency. Maduro further explained that he knows "without a doubt" that Trump and his administration have already given orders to the Columbian government and to the Columbian mafia to assassinate him.
During the same interview, Maduro also stated that he had no intention of holding an early election. Maduro asserted that his re-election last year was legitimate and that the people would have to wait until 2025 if they want to elect a new leader. He also put to rest rumors that he had ordered the arrest of his rival and now acting interim president Juan Guaido. Maduro also mentioned that the government is launching an investigation, which may lead to the possible arrest of his rival.
Maduro told interviewers that if something were to happen to him in the coming days, they would have no one else to blame but Donald Trump and the president of Columbia, Ivan Duque. White House representatives have denied the allegations and repeatedly told the press that there has never been any plot to kill the Venezuelan president.
There had been previous attempts on Maduro's life, with the latest one being a drone attack in Caracas. The attack happened on August of 2018, where at least two drones were remotely detonated when Maduro was addressing the Bolivarian National Guard near Avenida Bolivar.
Despite stating that Trump had ordered his assassination, Maduro still expressed his intention of meeting him and other world leaders for possible negotiations. According to Maduro, several countries, including Mexico, Russia, Bolivia, Uruguay, and some countries in Europe, have contacted him to arrange possible talks with his administration and the leaders of the opposition.
The 56-year-old leader is currently fighting a lot of battles on various fronts, with the country continually plunging into chaos. The United States recently placed strict sanctions on Petróleos de Venezuela (PDVSA), the country-operated oil and natural gas company. The sanction prohibits PDVSA from making any new transactions with American businesses. The sanction also directly impacts the Venezuelan government's source of income and its source of foreign currency.
The United States also previously expressed its support for the country's interim president, who is now rallying the masses against Maduro's administration. Maduro mentioned to interviewers that the country's military is still loyal to his administration and that he also had the support of Russian president Vladimir Putin. Russia has been a staunch supporter of Maduro's administration. Russia has reportedly lent the Venezuelan government an estimated US$17 billion since 2006.
