US President Donald Trump quipped that he might seek the presidency of Venezuela after his current term at the White House ends, claiming he leads all potential candidates in polling in the South American
nation. Trump made the comments during a press conference focused on the successful rescue of an Air Force officer whose fighter jet had been shot down over Iran.
The US President used the occasion to draw broader comparisons between American foreign policy victories, including what he characterized as the swift resolution of the conflict with Venezuela.
Read more: ‘Entire Country Can Be Taken Out In One Night’: Trump To Iran As Hormuz Deadline Looms
“The people of Venezuela, they say, if I ran for president of Venezuela, I’m polling higher than anybody has ever polled in Venezuela, so after I’m finished with this, I can go to Venezuela,” Trump said.
He continued, “I will quickly learn Spanish. It won’t take too long. I’m good at language and I will go to Venezuela. I’m going to run for president.”
The remark is not the first time Trump has floated the idea. At a cabinet meeting late last month, he similarly joked that he “may run” for the Venezuelan presidency against acting President Delcy Rodriguez, whom he described as having been installed by Washington following the capture of former President Nicolás Maduro. Trump called the prospect a “wonderful option.”
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Monday’s comments, however, stood in tension with remarks Trump made just weeks earlier at the inaugural Shield of the Americas Summit, where he told Latin American leaders in no uncertain terms that he had no intention of learning Spanish.
Praising US Secretary of State Marco Rubio- the son of Cuban immigrants and a fluent Spanish speaker- Trump said at the time, “He’s got a language advantage over me, ’cause I’m not learning your damn language. I don’t have time. I was okay with languages but I’m not gonna spend time learning your language. That much I won’t do.”
Trump also used Monday’s press conference to tout what he described as major American gains stemming from the Venezuelan situation, claiming the US has taken “hundreds of millions of barrels of oil” from the country and boasting that the conflict was “over in 45 minutes.”
He suggested the ongoing standoff with Iran could reach a similarly decisive conclusion, at one point claiming Iran could be “taken out in 1 night.”
