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Foreign Policy

Venezuelan Opposition Leader Juan Guaidó Visits The White House

The White House reaffirmed its commitment to Venezuela and ousting President Nicolás Maduro in a statement ahead of the visit.

Venezuelan Opposition Leader Juan Guaidó Visits The White House
Getty Images
By LeeAnne Lowry
SMS
February 5, 2020

Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaidó visited the White House on Wednesday to meet with President Donald Trump.

President Trump recognized Guaidó in his State of the Union address the night before.

"Joining us in the gallery is the true and legitimate president of Venezuela, Juan Guaidó."

Guaidó declared himself Venezuela's rightful leader early last year. But, even with the U.S'. backing, Guaidó has made little headway in toppling Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro's regime. 

Maduro won a second presidential term in 2018, despite widespread allegations of election fraud. The U.S. has called his government an "illegitimate dictatorship."

In a statement ahead of the visit, the White House didn't let up on it's commitment to oust Maduro. It called Guaidó's visit "an opportunity to reaffirm the commitment of the United States to the people of Venezuela and to discuss how we can work with President Guaidó to expedite a democratic transition in Venezuela that will end the ongoing crisis."

Contains footage from CNN.