Socialist dictator of Venezuela Nicolás Maduro on Monday once again danced to the “Not War, Yes Peace” remix song of his past “English” messages to the United States.
Maduro’s latest stage “performance” occurred amid rising tensions between Venezuela and the United States and came hours after President Donald Trump confirmed on Sunday that he held a recent phone conversation with Maduro.
The Venezuelan dictator led a new event of the ruling United Socialist Party of Venezuela (PSUV) on Monday, where he, in addition to dancing and addressing party-related subjects, announced the “new” composition of his regime’s 12-member political bureau — which, in practice, is simply a reshuffle of longtime regime figures.
Some notable names among Maduro’s new designations include Interior Minister and long suspected drug lord Diosdado Cabello, who also occupies the position of “Secretary General” of the bureau and the head of the socialist-controlled parliament; Jorge Rodríguez as Undersecretary General; and Rodríguez’s sister, Vice President Delcy Rodríguez, now also serving as “Secretary of Production and Finances.” Maduro also appointed his wife Cilia Flores as “Secretary of Strategy.”
Maduro availed himself of the opportunity to dance to the remix song on stage, to which he first danced in late November at an event with U.S. students in Caracas.
Monday’s event marked Maduro’s first public appearance since President Trump confirmed to reporters that he spoke to Maduro over the phone. While President Trump confirmed that the call took place, he did not disclose any details, simply stressing, “I wouldn’t say it went well or badly. It was a phone call.”
The Miami Herald reported on Sunday that, according to unspecified “sources familiar with the exchange,” President Trump delivered an “ultimatum” to Maduro during the call, demanding Maduro and his top brass leave Venezuela immediately to allow the restoration of democracy in the country in exchange for safe passage for the dictator and his family. The Maduro regime reportedly rejected the offer and instead offered handing control of the country to the opposition but retaining command of the armed forces.
On Tuesday, Reuters, citing “four sources briefed on the call,” reported that Maduro conditioned his departure from Venezuela on he and his family receiving “full legal amnesty,” including the removal of U.S. sanctions and that the ongoing case against Maduro at the International Criminal Court on accusations of crimes against humanity is brought to an end.
Maduro also demanded the removal of U.S. sanctions imposed on over 100 regime officials. According to Reuters, President Trump rejected “most of his requests” on the call and told Maduro that he had a week to leave Venezuela with his family — a deadline that reportedly expired on Friday, November 28.
“That safe passage expired on Friday, prompting Trump to declare on Saturday that Venezuela’s airspace was closed, two of the sources said,” Reuters reported. According to the sources cited by Reuters, the Maduro regime has requested another call with Trump.
Maduro claimed in November that the song, which features snippets of his recent attempts at speaking English, was the “official song against the U.S. deployment,” in reference to the ongoing U.S. military deployment in the Caribbean against drug traffickers operating in the area. In reality, the remix is a parody song released by Dominican Artist Hey Santana in late October.
The artist, speaking to a Dominican talk show last week, rejected online claims that he was allegedly paid to make the track to “whitewash” Maduro’s image — stressing that he is not on the dictator’s side.
“The reality is that no one has contacted me, and I hope it stays that way, that they don’t contact me because I’m really not interested,” Santana said. “I’ve never been involved in politics. All the content I create is always humorous, always satirical, always meant for people to listen to, dance to, and enjoy.”
One of the show’s hosts advised Hey Santana not to receive any payment from Maduro, given that he is wanted by U.S. authorities on narco-terrorism charges.
Christian K. Caruzo is a Venezuelan writer and documents life under socialism. You can follow him on Twitter here.
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