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Venezuelan President Blames Rival for Trump’s Apparent Election Defeat


This handout picture released by the Venezuelan Presidency shows Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro speaking during a televised announcement at the Miraflores Presidential Palace in Caracas, on Nov. 15, 2020.
This handout picture released by the Venezuelan Presidency shows Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro speaking during a televised announcement at the Miraflores Presidential Palace in Caracas, on Nov. 15, 2020.

Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro is blaming his rival, opposition leader Juan Guaido, for U.S. President Donald Trump's apparent reelection defeat.

Maduro said Thursday, he received a message from someone in the United States he refused to identify, that if Trump had trusted Maduro instead of Guaido, the election result would have been different.

Maduro seemed to mock Trump for recognizing Guaido as Venezuela’s self-proclaimed interim president saying, “You preferred to bet on an imbecile and that imbecile led you to defeat."

Maduro's comments might also be a public rebuke of Trump and his administration, which has long favored Guaido, who was also backed by some other Western leaders.

Thursday a team of Trump campaign lawyers claimed nationwide vote fraud is resulting from what they characterized as a conspiracy among Democrats, a voting machine company in Canada, Venezuelan socialist leaders, Cuban and Chinese communists, antifa and philanthropist George Soros.

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