Trump: We need Venezuelan energy 'for ourselves' and for the world
WASHINGTON — Asked how the removal of Venezuela’s leader was part of his “America First” brand of foreign policy, President Donald Trump cited the nation’s energy needs.
“I think it is because we want to surround ourselves with good neighbors,” he said. “We want to surround ourselves with stability and we want to surround ourselves with energy. We have tremendous energy in that country. It's very important that we protect it. We need that for ourselves. We need that for the world, and we want to make sure we can protect it.”
Trump and his Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, signaled that Cuban communist leaders should also be on watch following Saturday’s operation, noting the Cuban government provided Maduro with tactical support over the years.
“The guards that helped protect Maduro, this is well known, their whole spy agency, all that were full of Cubans,” Rubio said, adding later “So, yeah… if lived in Havana and I was in the government, I'd be concerned at least.“
Laura Figueroa Hernandez is the White House correspondent and previously covered New York City politics and government. She joined Newsday in 2012 after covering state and local politics for The Miami Herald.
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