Vice President Pence on Tuesday encouraged Venezuelans to "make your voices heard" at anti-government protests organized by Juan Guaidó, the head of Venezuela's National Assembly and the leader of the opposition to President Nicolás Maduro.
In a video message delivered in English with Spanish subtitles, Pence decried Maduro as "a dictator with no legitimate claim to power" who has "never won the presidency in a free and fair election."
"As such, the Untied State supports the courageous decision by Juan Guaidó, the president of National Assembly, to assert that body's constitutional powers, declare Maduro a usurper and call for the establishment of a transitional government," Pence said in a message he said is on behalf of President Trump and the American people.
Venezuela's opposition is expected to hold mass protests on Tuesday, the anniversary of a coup d'état that overthrew dictator Marcos Pérez Jiménez in 1958.
In a video message delivered in English with Spanish subtitles, Pence decried Maduro as "a dictator with no legitimate claim to power" who has "never won the presidency in a free and fair election."
"As such, the Untied State supports the courageous decision by Juan Guaidó, the president of National Assembly, to assert that body's constitutional powers, declare Maduro a usurper and call for the establishment of a transitional government," Pence said in a message he said is on behalf of President Trump and the American people.
Venezuela's opposition is expected to hold mass protests on Tuesday, the anniversary of a coup d'état that overthrew dictator Marcos Pérez Jiménez in 1958.
