How Trump helped Venezuela's Maduro bounce back
Maduro cast himself as a protector, bringing his people home from what he called 'concentration camps,' with the regime launching an investigation into alleged abuses. For Maduro, the deal was a political win – and one delivered by his longtime adversary. But this wasn't a one-off victory.
Despite Trump's bombastic rhetoric, the US president's policies – from hardline migration measures, deportation deals and even sanctions – have paradoxically given Maduro room to manoeuvre. They've breathed fresh political oxygen into a regime many thought was on the brink, helping him survive.
In the lead-up to the Venezuelan presidential election on July 28 2024, Maduro faced his toughest challenge yet. After years of economic crisis and corruption, the country was desperate for change. Jubilant crowds packed opposition rallies across Venezuela, cheering María Corina Machado and her stand-in, Edmundo González, after the regime banned her from running. But hours after polls closed, the regime-controlled electoral council declared Maduro the winner — without releasing results. Opposition tallies from voting machines, later verified by independent experts, suggested González had won by a landslide.
Although bruised by an election defeat – one he's never admitted – Maduro remained unbroken. He cracked down on protesters, journalists, politicians – seemingly anyone questioning his alleged 'win.' Masked agents entered homes or snatched people from the streets, accusing them of conspiracy and terrorism.
When Donald Trump won the 2024 US presidential election in November, many Venezuelans hoped for renewed pressure on Maduro to accelerate regime change. Trump's first term had seen harsh sanctions and an antagonistic relationship, with the men sometimes trading insults. Trump called Maduro a 'Cuban puppet,' while Maduro dubbed Trump a 'racist cowboy.'
Instead of adding salt to Maduro's electoral wounds, Trump's early policies have paradoxically helped soothe them. Over the past decade, around eight million Venezuelans have fled their country, driven largely by economic collapse. By the time Trump took office in 2025 there were 600,000 Venezuelans in the country – many who had risked crossing the treacherous Darien Gap gap jungle to get there – but some segments of the US population demanded stronger measures against incoming migrants.
Trump pledged to deliver voters exactly what they wanted. Cracking down on the influx of Venezuelans was key to his strategy. He ramped up immigration enforcement, conducting raids that targeted undocumented Venezuelans in major US cities — and often citing efforts to dismantle the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua. He also announced plans to roll back Joe Biden-era protection, Temporary Protected Status (TPS,) which has given some Venezuelans the right to live and work temporarily in the country.
Maduro has seized on Trump's crackdown and dealmaking to boost his regime. He's staged glossy propaganda around a visit to Venezuela by US envoy Richard Grenell and elaborate homecomings from those deported from the US – including the well-known case of a two-year-old girl separated from her parents at the US-Mexico border, later reunited with her mother at the presidential palace.
These carefully-orchestrated displays feed into Maduro's long-standing effort to present himself as the nation's protector. So much so that there's even an action figure and cartoon based on him – 'Super Bigote'– a mustachioed superhero who battles imperial enemies.
Maduro has been careful not to give up too many bargaining chips. While Maduro has just released ten Americans in the latest prisoner swap, as well as a reported 80 Venezuelans, within days, 20 new arrests of opposition figures were reported. More than 900 political prisoners remain behind bars. Human rights groups call it a 'revolving-door policy.' Maduro may have handed over a few playing pieces, but he's already replacing them.
It hasn't all been plain sailing since Trump's return. The White House has recognised Edmundo González's 2024 victory and sees Maduro's rule as illegitimate. But the biggest blow – economically and symbolically – came when Trump reverted to his first-term favourite: sanctions. As well as individual sanctions against some regime members, by pulling Chevron's Venezuela license and imposing a 25 per cent tariff on imports from countries buying Venezuelan oil, Trump tightened the economic noose again. Yet in a twist, in the last few days it was reported that the US will allowed Chevron to resume limited operations, giving Maduro yet another lifeline.
While some opposition figures and economists believe that sanctions are necessary to hasten Maduro's downfall, there are others who argue they have historically hit ordinary people harder than the regime. This has given him fresh ammunition for Maduro to bash the opposition with, portraying them as traitors to the nation for largely supporting sanctions. María Corina Machado recently called Trump 'an ally of democracy' and of the Venezuelan people. 'The measures he has recently taken, including increased sanctions, demonstrate this,' she said.
While Maduro courts diplomacy with one hand and deploys revolutionary rhetoric with the other, the opposition lacks that luxury. It can't criticise Trump too harshly without risking key support, leaving it open to accusations of cosiness with the US administration, who many blame for the suffering of Venezuelans abroad.
With Trump back on the scene, the road ahead remains anything but predictable. And while Maduro isn't thriving – he is surviving. Trump, his policies and his love of dealmaking are helping him do just that.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Metro
an hour ago
- Metro
Two children dead after sailing camp boat struck by barge in Miami
Two children have died and another is unresponsive after a barge struck their sailboat off Miami Beach. Five members of a youth sailing camp were near Star Island along with an adult counselor when the barge hit their boat around 11.15am on Monday, according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. 'All six individuals, an adult female and five juveniles, were recovered from the water and transported to a local hospital for treatment,' stated the commission on X (formerly Twitter). 'Tragically, two of the victims have succumbed to their injuries.' Two of the children were pronounced dead at Jackson Memorial Hospital and that 'one is currently unresponsive', stated the US Coast Guard in the afternoon. The children ranged in age from seven to 12. Victims were not immediately identified. 'It was a trying day for all involved,' said Miami Fire Rescue Lt Pete Sanchez, according to Local10. More Trending 'Most of us have kids, so it is difficult to see.' Both the Coast Guard and the commission are investigating the incident. 'We extend our deepest sympathies to the families affected by this heartbreaking loss,' wrote the commission. 'Our thoughts remain with them during this profoundly difficult time.' Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@ For more stories like this, check our news page. MORE: Trump insists he turned down invitation to Epstein island MORE: Three killed in mass shooting at Reno resort MORE: Back-to-school coats sorted – Regatta has kids covered (literally) with up to 50% off
The Independent
an hour ago
- The Independent
Trump administration memo clears way for federal employees to push their ‘correct' religion on other coworkers
Federal workers should not face any punishment for trying to convince colleagues of the 'correctness' of their personal religion, according to a new set of policies from the Trump administration. 'During a break, an employee may engage another in polite discussion of why his faith is correct and why the non-adherent should re-think his religious beliefs,' reads one portion of the administration 's memo. 'However, if the nonadherent requests such attempts to stop, the employee should honor the request.' The memo, issued Monday by the Office of Personnel Management, comes as the White House has made a priority of promoting religious faith and stamping out what it sees as anti-Christian bias. The policy, first reported by Fox News, details a variety of other permitted religious expressions for federal workers, including keeping holy books or religious instruments such as rosary beads at their desks, wearing clothing with religious messages or symbols, and inviting colleagues to religious services on personal bulletin boards. The memo also detailed other possible examples of allowed conduct including a park ranger joining her tour group in a prayer or a Veterans Affairs doctor praying over a patient. Trump, who claims to be a Christian, with strong support among evangelicals, has made promoting religious faith a key part of his agenda. Trump-branded Bibles were sold while on the campaign trail. Once he took office, Trump created a task force in February to root out what he said was anti-Christian bias in the government and beyond. During remarks at the National Prayer Breakfast laying out the idea for the effort, the president cited the example of Paulette Harlow, whom he described as having been arrested for praying outside an abortion clinic. Harlow, who Trump pardoned along with other anti-abortion activists, was part of a group of 10 who conspired to make a fake appointment at a Washington abortion clinic in 2020, then 'forcefully entered the clinic and set about blockading two clinic doors using their bodies, furniture, chains, and ropes,' according to the Justice Department at the time. It resulted in an injury to a clinic nurse and forced a patient to climb through a receptionist's window, while another 'laid in the hallway outside of the clinic in physical distress, unable to gain access to the clinic,' prosecutors said. Protecting religious liberty and stopping faith-based discrimination has also been a key theme in the Trump administration's efforts to crack down on top university campuses, which the White House has accused of tolerating antisemitism during protests over the Israel-Hamas war. In many cases the administration has sought changes beyond reforms to religious protections at these Ivy League schools, pushing for changes including ending diversity hiring and conducting ' viewpoint diversity' audits of campus faculty and students. criticism from Catholic Church leaders and charities. Faith-based agencies are among the main providers of the now dramatically curtailed refugee resettlement effort in the U.S. and the Catholic Church has a large following within Latino immigrant communities.
BBC News
an hour ago
- BBC News
US tariffs: Lesotho factory that made Trump shirts hard hit by US tariffs
A garment factory in Lesotho, which has produced Trump-branded golf shirts, may have to soon shut down following the massive import taxes, or tariffs, imposed by the US government earlier this small, southern African kingdom was hit with "reciprocal" tariffs of 50% - a higher rate than any other country - when they were announced by US President Donald Trump in they have since been put on hold, Trump says they will be reimposed this Friday, 1 August, along with other countries around the world, unless a separate deal is reached."We don't know how we survive this one. We are going to die," Aletta Seleso tells the BBC in a bleak voice standing outside Precious Garments, where the Trump golf shirts have been mother of one young child has worked there for almost a decade, also supporting her extended family on her monthly salary of $160 (£120).Lesotho has become known as the "denim capital of Africa". The country's garment factories also produce jeans for iconic American brands such as Levi's and the uncertainty over the future of the country's clothes industry is one reason why Lesotho declared a national "state of disaster" earlier this month in order to speed up job-creation. The BBC meets Ms Seleso during her lunch break just outside Precious joins hundreds of workers streaming out of the factory with their lunch boxes in one hand and water bottles in the other as they try to find a spot in the weak sun of the southern hemisphere winter to enjoy their home-cooked workers, with blankets wrapped around their bodies, huddle in groups with their backs to the sun as they try to soak up a bit of has been working at the factory as an embroiderer for the past eight years and had little reason to worry about her job - until the US tariffs announcement in says workers have been told that the firm "can close any time from now"."They say it's about a tariff," she the meantime, Ms Seleso and her colleagues have been told to work for two weeks a month, meaning they get just half the says it is now "so hard" for her to support her child, mother and her late younger sister's two children, who are all under her BBC has approached Precious Garments for Sam Mokhele, the secretary general of one the unions representing 150 workers at the firm, says the company had not "indicated any sign of shutting down" at the moment."But what they said was [they may have to] shut down if things do not change," he Seleso is appealing to the government to engage with the US and try to find a viable solution to the tariff her desperate situation, she at least still has an income – but others are not so the other side of town, in Maseru's Thetsane industrial site, dozens of desperate job seekers gather outside another garment factory, factory, one half of the CGM Presitex Jeans Manufacturer, has closed but there have been rumours it may soon would-be workers stand in small groups, clutching water bottles, their only source of sustenance for the day, as they listen and hope they will be among the lucky few. Among this group, mostly women, is Puleng Selane, who has been job-hunting since March. Since 2018, the mother of three has worked as a security guard, along with a variety of other young woman now relies on the sale of medical face masks to support her family - which even on a good day only brings in enough money to buy maize meal and paraffin."Now life is so hard... we often eat once a day but sometimes go to bed without any food," she says. Although the 50% tariff has been paused, Lesotho's exports to the US are still subject to a 10% tax, like the rest of the this year, its exports had not been subject to any US tariffs under the African Growth and Opportunity Act (Agoa) - a law passed in Washington in 2000 to allow duty-free access to the US for goods from some countries in order to alleviate poverty and create jobs. This was part of the "trade not aid" tariffs could be death knell for US-Africa trade pactHow jeans and diamonds pushed Lesotho to the top of Trump's tariffs listThe textile and garment industry is Lesotho's largest private sector employer providing, at its peak, around 50,000 jobs, out of a population of just over two figure now hovers around 36,000 according to the government, with 12,000 jobs directly affected by the US Garments at one point hired 4,000 the Lesotho textiles boom boosted by Agoa meant that it had a trade surplus with the US - exporting more than it imports from the country. And that was why Trump imposed such high tariffs on the country, which appear to have put an end to Agoa, threatening the future of the one bright spot in the country's the relative success of the clothes factories - until now - the country as a whole is still struggling to create enough jobs for its young stands at 30% but for young people the rate is almost 50%, according to official activist Tšolo Thakeli tells the BBC that even without the latest threat to the textile sector, the situation is "tragic" as there are "literally no jobs in the country, especially for the youth"."We have graduates from every level... not having jobs. There's a serious state of hopelessness amongst the youth," he while there are myriad reasons, Mr Thakeli blames the "nepotism [and] corruption" that many allege runs rampant in the 31-year-old entrepreneur and qualified lawyer is a vocal critic of Lesotho's government and was arrested after he posted a video on social media questioning whether Prime Minister Sam Matekane's promise to create 70,000 jobs in two weeks was tells the BBC the prime minister lacks a proper plan to tackle the crisis."There's nothing tangible that the government has done or set to address the problem. [It's just] empty promises," he is denied by Trade Minister Mokhethi Shelile, who insists that the government is working to try and resolve the issue."We already had some solutions, even before the tariff was announced, because the US market was already beginning to be a difficult market for us," he tells the says the country is "already shifting to production for South Africa" and that as things stand, only "20% of the garment industry supplies the US market". Mr Shelile is speaking to the BBC outside another factory hit hard by the uncertainty caused by the tariffs. TZICC, owned by a Taiwanese national, has been operational in Lesotho since 1999, producing sportswear for the likes of JC Penney, Walmart and Costco. At the height of operations, the firm produced 400,000 garments a month but when the BBC visits, hundreds of sewing machines lie gathering dust in one of the warehouses.A manager at the firm, Rahila Omar, says the company's 1,000 employees, mostly women, have been laid off for the next four months due to a halt in orders."Because of the... pressure of the tariffs, our buyers wanted us to finish the order or the quantity as soon as we can. We were given a deadline of 30 June, but we finished before 30 June, and that's why we have a layoff," she Omar says TZICC is waiting for an update on Agoa and whether the current tariff structure would be reviewed before deciding on the next step. Even if the current 10% tax remained, without Agoa, it would not be enough for the firm to reopen as there would be "some additional charges" to consider, she while the factory also supplies clothing to South African retailers, Ms Omar says the income generated from these pales in comparison to what the firm earns from the US the government's assurance that it is working to resolve the issue - with the minister even promising a desperate passer-by who spotted him during our interview that "it's going to work [out] at the end of the day" - for Ms Seleso and Mr Thakeli, these are hollow words for the country's despondent and hopeless workforce. Go to for more news from the African us on Twitter @BBCAfrica, on Facebook at BBC Africa or on Instagram at bbcafrica
