Trump Praises Venezuela’s Dictator, Says He Made Country ‘Very Safe’

Former President Donald Trump spoke with controversial stream Adin Ross on Monday and offered an eyebrow raising reply when asked to weigh in on the ongoing turmoil in Venezuela following an election that many observers, including the U.S., say was stolen.

“What do you what do you think about what’s going on in Venezuela? The whole situation out there,” Ross asked.

“Well, I know it very well. And Venezuela is right now being run by a dictator. We were enemies with Venezuela,” Trump replied, adding:

Venezuela was going to collapse, and people could have gone back to Venezuela. They’re in our country now. They’ve released tremendous numbers of criminals into our country. If you look at Caracas, it was known for being a very dangerous city, and now it’s very safe. In fact, the next interview we’ll do we’ll do it in Caracas, Venezuela, because it’s safer than many of our cities.

Notably, Venezuela has the highest crime rate in the world, according to the Global Organized Crime Index.

Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro declared himself the winner of the election despite many vote tallies appearing to show the opposition actually won the vote. The AP reported over the weekend, “According to the calculations, the opposition’s Edmundo González received 6.89 million votes, nearly half a million more than the government says Maduro won with. The tabulations also show Maduro received 3.13 million votes from the tally sheets released.”

Instead of weighing in on the election fraud and the fact that the U.S. has recognized González as the winner of the election, Trump chose to repeat his line of attack on the Biden administration – baselessly claiming that criminals are being sent into the U.S. from Venezuela.

Trump’s sit down with Ross also generated controversy as Ross has long been associated with white nationalism and neo-Nazis like Nick Fuentes. Ross had been banned from the streaming service Twitch in February 2023.“Per our Community Guidelines, unmoderated Hateful Conduct in chat, such as racist and anti-semitic messages, is not allowed on Twitch,” explained Twitch when it permanently banned Ross.

Donald Trump: “Venezuela is right now, being run by a dictator…If you look at Caracas, it was known for being a very dangerous city, and now it’s very safe… It’s safer than many of our cities.” pic.twitter.com/rSvcRNInkU

— Republican Voters Against Trump (@AccountableGOP) August 5, 2024

Watch the clip above.