‘It Was a Phone Call:’ President Trump Mum on Conversation With Maduro Who Reappeared Sunday
US President Donald Trump confirmed he spoke to Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, who reappeared on Sunday at a coffee convention, quashing rumors that he had fled the country amid growing tensions with the United States.
However, he did not provide information about what the two leaders discussed.
Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One, Trump confirmed that he had spoken with Maduro by phone but declined to give details about the conversation. Maduro had been missing since last Wednesday.
“I don’t want to comment on that — the answer is yes,” Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One when asked whether the call had taken place. “I wouldn’t say it went well or badly. It was a phone call.”
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The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal have reported that Trump and Maduro spoke by phone earlier this month.
The US president has directed harsh rhetoric against Maduro in recent weeks, as the military sent more than a dozen warships and deployed roughly 15,000 troops to the region to halt extensive drug trafficking.
Trump threatened airstrikes targeting drug traffickers in Venezuela “very soon” and warned that the airspace should be cleared in preparation for a potential military operation.
Defying speculation that he had fled the country amid the tension, Maduro made his first appearance in five days when he spoke at an annual specialty coffee awards event in eastern Caracas.
Mentioning nothing about the tensions, Maduro tasted coffee and handed out medals to winning coffee producers. Toward the end of the evening, apparently commenting on the economy, Maduro chanted that Venezuela is “indestructible, untouchable, unbeatable.”
