Venezuelan President Maduro Spotted For First Time Since Trump's Ultimatum

Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro was spotted in public for the first time in several days on Sunday (November 30), following reports that President Donald Trump gave him an ultimatum to resign and flee the country or face consequences.

Maduro, 63, presented prizes and spoke at an annual specialty-coffee awards ceremony in the capital city of Caracas, which included leading a chant claiming Venezuela's economy was "indestructible, untouchable, unbeatable," according to CNN. The appearance followed Trump's confirmation that he spoke with Maduro last week, though he didn't divulge details about the reported conversation on Sunday.

"I don't want to comment on it. The answer is yes," Trump said when asked if he had spoken with Maduro while addressing reporters aboard Air Force One via Reuters.

Last week, the New York Times reported that Trump spoke to Maduro about a possible meeting between Venezuela and the United States, noting that there were no prior plans for such a meeting. The Miami Herald later reported that the two sides were far apart during the conversation as Trump warned that Maduro and his family could flee Venezuela safely if he agreed to resign right away, while Maduro attempted to negotiate terms to stay in power.

Washington officials have long accused Maduro and his allies of running a "narco-terrorist enterprise" drug cartel, with the Justice Department, then under President Joe Biden's administration, indicting Maduro and more than a dozen allies in 2020. The U.S. government placed a $50 million bounty on Maduro, the largest reward ever offered for a sitting head of state, as well as a $25 million fee for ruling-party strongman Diosdado Cabello.

Trump had previously announced on Thursday (November 27) that U.S. military, which had previously targeted speedboats alleged to be carrying drugs, would expand to land-based operations in Venezuela "very soon." A source claimed the call between Trump was a last-ditch effort to avoid direct confrontation that stalled over three key issues.

“First, Maduro asked for global amnesty for any crimes he and his group had committed, and that was rejected. Second, they asked to retain control of the armed forces — similar to what happened in Nicaragua in ’91 with Violeta Chamorro. In return, they would allow free elections," the source said on the condition of anonymity, adding that the third factor was Washington insisting Maduro resign immediately, which he refused.