Washington, DC: US president Donald Trump has posted a digitally altered image of a Wikipedia page with his photograph, declaring him as
“Acting President of Venezuela.”
This comes at a time when intense international controversy continues regarding the capture of Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores by the US.
After Maduro and Cilia were taken to the US, an interim leadership was established domestically in Venezuela through the Venezuelan Supreme Tribunal of Justice and the constitutional succession process, not by a US president assuming executive authority, as reported by Hindustan Times.
Trump posted the engineered image on Truth Social, resulting in world leaders to sit up and take notice. He has already
irked several European leaders by staking a claim on Greenland.
Trump also jokingly affirmed the idea of Marco Rubio being the president of Cuba. He shared a post where such claims are made with the caption “Sounds good to me.”
Venezuela’s Supreme Tribunal of Justice ordered vice president Delcy Rodriguez to assume the role of acting president after Maduro was removed, citing constitutional constraints. This was done in order to maintain administrative continuity and protect national institutions.
After Maduro’s capture on January 3, Trump said in a press conference that throughout the transition, the US will “run” Venezuela in order to “get the oil flowing.” A day later, he declared that the US was “in charge” of Venezuela.
US secretary of state Marco Rubio hinted on Sunday that the US does not intend to directly administer Venezuela through it will continue to impose an “oil quarantine” as part of a strategy to influence policy.
Maduro’s arraignment in a U.S. court on federal charges has heightened tensions: he continues to contest his detention and asserts that his capture violates international law and sovereign immunity.