Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro was spotted dancing at a rally in Caracas — as he and President Trump agreed to resume deportation flights despite rising tensions between the two nations.
The defiant dictator joined crowds celebrating newly elected Venezuelan leaders on Monday as he danced to a song with the lyrics, “no war, yes peace,” which samples one of his speeches.
During the celebration, Maduro vowed to stand by the Venezuelan people in the face of American aggression.
“Just as I swore before the body of our commander [Hugo] Chávez, before saying farewell to him, absolute loyalty at the cost of my own life and peace, I now swear to you absolute loyalty beyond this life, through this beautiful and heroic story we are living,” Maduro declared.
“Be certain that I will never fail you — never, ever, never,” he added.
Maduro was joined at the celebration with his wife, Cilia Flores, who wore a red cap featuring the slogan, “Doubt is Betrayal.”
Maduro’s reaffirmation comes following reports of a short phone call he had with Trump last month, where the Venezuelan president said he was willing to abandon his country if he and his family were given full legal amnesty.
Trump rejected most of Maduro’s requests during the call, which lasted less than 15 minutes, with the deadline to leave expiring on Friday.
Since then, Trump has ramped up his threats on Maduro’s regime, suggesting a ground invasion is on the table as the US builds up its amphibious forces in the Caribbean.
Trump also declared that Venezuela’s airspace be considered closed over the weekend. While Trump has no authority to shut down the country’s airspace, the move saw air traffic dwindle over Venezuela.
The order also raised questions about the twice-a-week deportation flights from the US that have taken place this year following an agreement between Maduro and Trump.
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The Venezuelan president confirmed on Tuesday that the flights would resume after the US-based Eastern Airlines submitted an application for the arrival of the latest deportation flight scheduled for Wednesday.
More than 13,000 migrants have been deported to Venezuela this year on chartered flights, the last of which arrived on Friday before Trump’s order to halt air traffic.
With Post wires
