Washington, DC…Since my inauguration, the Trump Administration has called on Venezuela’s Maduro regime to respect Venezuela’s constitution, respect the role and authorities of the constitutionally established National Assembly, hold free and fair elections, address the humanitarian needs of the Venezuelan people, release political prisoners, and stop oppressing its great people. The regime has refused to heed this call, and its recent actions—culminating in yesterday’s outrageous seizure of absolute power through the sham election of the National Constituent Assembly—represent a very serious blow to democracy in our hemisphere. Maduro is not just a bad leader; he is now a dictator.

The United States stands with the people of Venezuela in the face of this oppression. We will work with our partners to hold accountable all those responsible for the escalating violence and ongoing human rights violations. I promised strong and swift actions if the regime went forward with imposing the National Constituent Assembly on the Venezuelan people, and I will keep that promise.