WASHINGTON—President Donald Trump told reporters while departing the White House on Jan. 16 that he is working with interim Venezuelan leader Delcy Rodriguez rather than aligning with opposition leader Maria Corina Machado because he wants to maintain stability in the region.
He said his decision was based on a desire to avoid a power vacuum that might emerge if the entire regime was swiftly dismantled, noting the challenges faced in Iraq after American forces invaded.
“If you ever remember a place called Iraq where everybody was fired, every single person, the police, the generals, everybody was fired, and they ended up being ISIS,” Trump said. “Instead of just getting down to business, they ended up being ISIS.”…
Trump Says He Left Maduro Regime in Place to Avoid Repeat of Iraq
