Michelle Marchante/Editor-in-Chief
President Donald Trump will be visiting the University’s Modesto Maidique campus to discuss Venezuela’s ongoing turmoil on President’s Day.
The president is expected to reaffirm his support of Juan Guaidó, Venezuela’s interim president, and continue to call for the resignation of Nicolas Maduro, according to The Miami Herald.
The Monday, Feb. 18, visit comes at a time when the situation in Venezuela continues to worsen, with Maduro’s government blocking the bridge which connects the country to Columbia, making it impossible for Guaidó to receive the humanitarian aid the U.S. and other countries have sent.
Trump’s visit also comes two weeks after Vice President Mike Pence traveled to Doral to meet with Venezuelan exiles.
Near the University, Doral is home to South Florida’s largest Venezuelan community.
During his visit, Pence also assured South Florida’s Venezuelan community that the United States would not waver in their support of Guaidó.
The president of Venezuela’s National Assembly, Guaidó was sworn in as the country’s interim president on Wednesday, Jan. 23.
However, Maduro still controls the military, making it difficult for Guaidó to fully transition into the presidency, as Student Media previously reported, despite having support from most of the Venezuelan community and countries such as the U.S., Canada, Colombia and most of Latin America.
Several European countries, such as the United Kingdom, France, Germany and Spain, have also recognized Guaidó’s legitimacy, as of Feb. 4, and so has Israel, which hasn’t had relations with the country for about a decade.
Besides military power, Maduro also retains the support of countries such as Russia, China, Syria and Cuba, which increases the complexity of the problem internationally.
Members of the University’s large Venezuelan community also spoke out about the problems plaguing Venezuela, a few weeks prior to Trump’s scheduled visit.
And while the exact time of Trump’s arrival to the University is still unknown, as of press time, Student Media will continue to provide updates as more information becomes available.
Feature Image courtesy of the U.S. Department of State Flickr.
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