Juan Guaidó Attends State of the Union

Juan Guaido was present at the State of the Union Address (Wikimedia Commons).

Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaidó attended President Donald Trump’s State of the Union address on February 4. In his speech, Trump proclaimed him as Venezuela’s legitimate president, continuing his administration’s strong opposition to current Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro’s government.

In the 2018 Venezuelan presidential elections, many inconsistencies occurred, including the banning of participation from multiple major opposition parties. While Maduro ultimately won re-election, many claimed that his victory was illegitimate. This ultimately led to Guaidó proclaiming himself president with the support of the Venezuelan National Assembly, and a massive number of Venezuelans demonstrated in favor of Guaidó across the country in 2019. 

The Trump administration has strongly supported Guiadó. In order to force Maduro out of power, the White House levelled heavy sanctions on Venezuela that resulted in significant economic damage and the emmigration of five million people from Venezuela. However, despite the sanctions, Maduro has remained in power. 

Trump introduced Guaidó in his speech, saying, “Here this evening, is a very brave man, who carries with him the hopes, dreams, and aspirations of all Venezuelans. Joining us in the gallery is the true and legitimate president of Venezuela, Juan Guaidó.”

This proclamation of Guaidó as Venezuela’s true president received loud bipartisan applause. Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, despite being noticeably displeased with most of Trump’s speech, gave Guaidó a standing ovation. Furthermore, most of the major Democratic presidential candidates, like Michael Bloomberg and Joe Biden, have supported Guaidó. In contrast, Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT) has stood by a more non-interventionist approach, which appears to still accept Maduro as Venezuela’s leader. 

In an official declaration of his campaign’s Venezuela policy, Sanders told the Council on Foreign Relations, “My administration would support the negotiations between the Maduro government and the opposition and work with other countries in our region and the international community to support the Venezuelan people’s right to build their own future…. My administration would not be in the business of regime change.”

If Sanders wins the nomination, Venezuela might become a major issue for the general election. Not only has Trump taken an aggressive position against the Maduro government, he has also used it to target socialism at large.

“Americans are united with the Venezuelan people in their righteous struggle for freedom! Socialism destroys nations. But always remember, freedom unifies the soul,” Trump said after introducing Guaidó in his speech.

Guaidó’s invitation to the State of the Union signals that Trump will continue to push strongly against Maduro in the future. Furthermore, the targeting of Venezuela and socialism will likely be a significant part of his re-election campaign strategy, especially if Sanders—a self-described democratic socialist—wins the Democratic primaries.