Former US President Donald Trump has openly discussed his plans to flee the United States if he loses in the upcoming November White House race. In a recent interview with Tesla CEO Elon Musk, Trump suggested that Venezuela could be a safer refuge than the US under such circumstances.
Trump remarked during the conversation, “If something happens with this election, which would be a horror show, we’ll meet the next time in Venezuela, because it’ll be a far safer place to meet than our country.” He further elaborated, “OK, so we’ll go. You and I will go, and we’ll have a meeting and dinner in Venezuela.”
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Trump’s statements included a controversial claim that Venezuela is improving its crime rate by releasing dangerous offenders from its prisons and sending them to the US illegally. According to Trump, this strategy is responsible for the rising crime rate in the US while Venezuela’s crime statistics are reportedly declining.
In the interview, Trump criticized the influx of what he described as dangerous individuals entering the US, stating, “they’re just getting acclimated” and that they lack understanding of “our law enforcement and police.”
Trump has made similar assertions about Venezuela in the past, alleging that the country has eliminated about 70 percent of its most dangerous criminals. “Venezuela has not gotten rid of all of them. They’ve gotten rid of about 70 percent of their really bad people,” he said.
The US Department of Justice has accused Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, who leads an autocratic regime, of involvement in narco-terrorism and corruption. Last month, Maduro was declared the winner of a widely disputed election marred by allegations of fraud.
Interestingly, there were speculations in 2022 that Russian President Vladimir Putin and his close associates might have been preparing a contingency plan to escape to Venezuela if Russia faced defeat in the war with Ukraine.
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