President Trump spoke Wednesday with Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido to congratulate him on his “historic assumption of the presidency,” the White House said.
The unprecedented call came after the U.S. recognized Mr. Guaido as interim president of the nation in crisis and refused to back the presidency of Socialist Nicolas Maduro, who recently began a second term as president.
The White House said Mr. Trump called Mr. Guaido “to reinforce President Trump’s strong support for Venezuela’s fight to regain its democracy. “
The statement said Mr. Guaido “thanked President Trump for the United States’ commitment to freedom and prosperity in Venezuela and the region, and noted the importance of the large protests across Venezuela against former dictator Maduro, set to occur today and Saturday.”
“They agreed to maintain regular communication to support Venezuela’s path back to stability, and to rebuild the bilateral relationship between the United States and Venezuela,” the White House said.
• Dave Boyer can be reached at dboyer@washingtontimes.com.
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