Venezuela Challenger Meets Biden, Putting Pressure on Trump
(Bloomberg) -- The Venezuela opposition leader the US has recognized as president-elect met President Joe Biden just days before Donald Trump takes over in Washington and faces his own decision about how to handle relations with a country that’s a major source of undocumented immigrants.
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Edmundo González, who voting records show won the most votes in last July’s presidential election over Nicolás Maduro, said he had “a long, successful and cordial conversation” with Biden on Monday.
“We are grateful for the support that the US government has given us in this struggle for democratic recovery in Venezuela,” González told reporters outside the White House. He said his staff has been in contact with Trump’s team “for some time now,” adding that they would “continue on that same path because our relations are going to be very, very close.”
In a statement issued by the White House,Biden said “the world was inspired by the millions of Venezuelans who courageously voted” on July 28 and reiterated the US’s support for the country’s “democratic aspirations.” Biden noted he would be “following the planned” Jan. 9 protests in Venezuela “closely” and will continue to hold Maduro and his officials “accountable for their anti-democratic and repressive actions.”
Venezuela’s election authority declared Maduro the winner without presenting evidence, and the authoritarian leader is slated to begin a third term in the South American nation this week. Biden administration officials were key to negotiations between Maduro’s regime and the opposition to make the elections possible, including a related easing of US sanctions.
The outgoing US president’s embrace of González as the people’s choice complicates matters for Trump, who would need cooperation from Maduro to deport Venezuelans back home, after millions left because of economic hardship under the current regime. González has been so far unable to schedule a meeting with Trump representatives during his trip to the US.
Trump’s position on whether to support Venezuelan opposition forces during his second term is a subject of hot speculation. Nominated Secretary of State Marco Rubio, a Cuban-American senator from Florida, has been one of the Maduro government’s fiercest critics. He introduced a bill seeking to increase a reward for Maduro’s arrest to $100 million and has been vocal about his dislike of Biden’s Venezuela policy.
But other appointees in the new Trump White House argue that a hard line against Venezuela hasn’t worked and that more engagement is needed.
González has vowed to return to Venezuela on Jan. 10 to be sworn in as new president. Maduro’s officials, however, have threatened to try him for conspiracy to overthrow the government, among other crimes. “As soon as he steps one foot in the country we’ll arrest him,” Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello told reporters Monday in Caracas.
Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino also rejected as “ridiculous” González’s call Sunday for the military to respect the constitution and allow his inauguration.
González, a little-known former ambassador before his presidential run in 2024, was forced to flee to Spain in September after the government issued an arrest warrant against him. He served as a stand-in for María Corina Machado, the opposition’s most popular figure, who was the overwhelming winner of a 2023 primary but was barred from running in the election.
Last week, the Venezuelan regime offered a $100,000 reward for information leading to González’s capture. Since the vote, other political leaders and activists from the main coalition of opposition parties known as the Unitary Platform have fled the country.
González’s meeting with a broader group of ambassadors at the Organization of American States was canceled due to weather conditions in Washington. But the opposition leader planned to rally supporters on the front steps of the OAS building Monday afternoon, according to people familiar with his plans.
--With assistance from María Paula Mijares Torres and Fabiola Zerpa.
(Updates to add White House comment in fourth paragraph)
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