US Recognizes Venezuelan Opposition Leader as President-Elect After Contested Election

While the United States and its allies have already criticized the Maduro dictatorship for election fraud, the Biden admin.'s decision to publicly recognize González as the country's president-elect is a further blow to the regime. Some have speculated Trump may be open to a softer approach towards Maduro but, given Blinken's statement and lessons from the first Trump administration, Venezuela should prepare itself for a barrage of sanctions against those who continue to subvert democracy.