May 20 (UPI) — Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro has a message for President: Donald Trump: “Get your dirty hands out of here.”
Maduro was referring to new sanctions Thursday by the United States and condemnation of his socialist government. The sanctions were aimed at chief judge and seven other members of the Venezuela’s Supreme Court. U.S. Treasury froze any assets they might have in the United States, denied them entry into the country and prohibited U.S. citizens to do any business with them
“In Venezuela, there is a dignified government and we’re here on our feet. Get your hands out of here, Donald Trump, get your dirty hands out of here,” Maduro said in a speech carried on television in the nation. “Donald Trump, look in the mirror, at Michel Temer of Brazil. Whoever meddles in Venezuela gets into trouble.”
The court annulled the opposition-led National Assembly in a series of rulings this year and took over their duties.
The Venezuelan government accused the United States of intervening into country’s internal affairs and seeking to further destabilize it.
“President Trump’s aggressions against the Venezuelan people, its government and its institutions have surpassed all limits,” the statement said. “The extreme positions of a government just starting off only confirmed the discriminatory, racist, xenophobic, and genocidal nature of U.S. elites against humanity and its own people, which has now been heightened by this new administration which asserts white Anglo-Saxon supremacy.”
Maduro has cracked down on street protests and efforts to consolidate his rule.
The main goal of the protests was to create “creating a mess in our society” and violently oust President Maduro instead of new elections, the head of the commission for the National Constituent Assembly Elías José Jaua Milano told RT earlier this month. The protest leaders are “not interested in taking part in the elections when the situation is politically, economically and socially stable.”
At the White House on Thursday, Trump expressed dismay at how the once-booming oil-rich Venezuela was now mired in poverty, saying “it’s been unbelievably poorly run” and calling the humanitarian situation “a disgrace to humanity.” Trump, comments came after meeting with Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos.
“People don’t have enough to eat. People have no food,” Trump said. “There’s great violence. And we will do whatever is necessary and we will work together to do whatever is necessary to help with fixing that.”
On Wednesday, Venezuelan government announced it was sending 2,600 troops to a trouble-hit region on the border with Colombia to try to quell weeks of violence.
