Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro has grown increasingly paranoid of US airstrikes following recent threats from the Trump administration, with the dictator now regularly rotating his sleeping beds and cellphones to avoid having his location tracked, according to a new report.
Despite his recent seemingly carefree public appearances, sources close to Maduro’s regime said the president is sweating bullets as he tightens his personal security and looks for outside help to reduce the risk of betrayal from his loyalists, The New York Times reported.
To mitigate the chances of being killed by a US airstrike or by a special-forces raid, Maduro, 63, is reportedly opting to sleep in different locations to throw off would-be assassins.
The Venezuelan strongman is also regularly changing cellphones to stop his location from being tracked, the sources added, a tactic he has been using more frequently since the US began amassing warships in the Caribbean.
While Maduro has repeatedly claimed that he enjoys the loyalty of his allies and the population, the dictator has grown wary of his inner circle and is seeking outside help, the Times said.
Maduro has allegedly reached out to allies in Havana for help, with the president expanding the role of his Cuban bodyguards in his personal security and enlisting more Cuban counterintelligence officers into the military, one source told the Times.
The dictator has also reduced the number of scheduled events and live broadcasts he has regularly enjoyed in his 12 years ruling over Venezuela, opting for prerecorded messages to do the job instead.
The moves stand in stark contrast with how Maduro has been working to cultivate his public image, with the dictator painting an image of a ruler loyal to the people and defiant of President Trump.
Maduro has also made sure he maintains a relaxed appearance in public, with the outings occurring more spontaneously than usual since the US began its military strikes in Latin America.
This was made clear during his attendance at a Caracas festival celebrating local elections on Monday, with Maduro seen dancing and singing along to a song using samples of his speeches.
The outing also allowed Maduro to directly address the people and insist that he was loyal to them following reports that he was open to fleeing the country as long as he and his family were granted full amnesty by the US.
While Trump reportedly gave Maduro until last Friday to flee the country, sources told The Post that conversations are still ongoing for a deal to have the Venezuelan president exiled to Qatar.
