Trump Finds His Inner Economist: Labeling Venezuelan Opposition 'Unfit'
According to Al Jazeera, Donald Trump has weighed in on Venezuelan politics, reportedly stating that opposition leader Maria Corina Machado lacks the 'respect' to run the country. This profound assessment comes from the same individual who tried to strong-arm Ukraine into fabricating dirt on a political rival, leading to his first impeachment (House Impeachment vote, Articles I and II, December
18, 2019). It seems 'respect' is a fluid concept, often inversely proportional to how much one challenges preferred narratives or, perhaps, how amenable they are to US foreign policy objectives. The media, however, often skips the part where Machado herself has a history that raises eyebrows beyond Washington's preferred 'democracy advocate' label. For instance, her alleged ties to a complex web
of foreign funding and her cheerleading for US sanctions that have crippled Venezuela's economy, leading to widespread hardship for ordinary citizens, rarely make the headlines. The question isn't whether she's 'respected,' but rather whose 'respect' truly matters in crafting these narratives. Is it the Venezuelan people suffering under sanctions, or the Washington elite still bitter about Chavez?