'On the wrong track:' New numbers reveal the extent of Trump’s failure

In the wake of the U.S. incursion into Venezuela to capture its former president Nicolas Maduro, Americans have known little of how Venezuelans themselves feel about the situation. While President Trump has claimed they’re “very happy” with it, polling from within Venezuela shows that the people there strongly disagree with his appraisal.

Speaking at a White House event on Monday, Trump delivered his assessment of how Venezuelans feel about his actions in their country, saying, “The people of Venezuela are really happy.” He cited a renewed “spirit” in Venezuela that has risen from the sale of crude oil to the U.S.

But while Venezuelan support for Trump stood at 92 percent just after Maduro’s capture, that number plunged to 47 percent by April. According to the Miami Herald’s Venezuela correspondent Antonio Maria Delgado, that drop coincides with Trump’s growing alliance with Maduro’s replacement Delcy Rodriguez, the country’s former vice president who was installed as the head of state. 89 percent of those surveyed opposed Trump’s relationship with Rodriguez, versus just 3 percent who support it. 47 percent refused to state an opinion regarding Trump at all, which suggests rising disillusionment. A further 78 percent say their country is “on the wrong track” under Rodríguez’s leadership, while more than 70 percent say their family’s economic situation will worsen significantly if she remains in power. A whopping 95 percent say they disapprove of her approach to democracy and civil liberties, while similar percentages reject her handling of public services.

According to Ruben Chirinos, president of the firm Meganálisis, which conducted the poll, “Much of the discontent stems from a perception that economic interests, particularly in the oil sector, are taking precedence over the well-being of ordinary citizens.” He explained that Venezuelans are feeling uneasy about what they view as an effort focused more on energy deals than on political or institutional change, and that they have been frustrated with the lack of a decisive break from the past, as for many, Rodriguez represents a direct continuation of the status quo.

“The country is at a crossroads of uncertainty,” says Chirinos. “The only one who appears to be certain is Donald Trump, when he says he is very happy with Delcy Rodríguez. But Venezuelans are not happy with Delcy Rodríguez.”

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