If you're a fan of Venezuela President Nicolás Maduro, who last week declared himself the victor of an election that voter tallies show he lost by a landslide, you should love Donald Trump too, a new Lincoln Project ad says.
The 37-second spot, now circulating the web, adds to bipartisan condemnation of Maduro's most recent power grab while also throwing more shade at the former U.S. President.
"In Venezuela, democracy finally had a chance. Finally, the voice of the people was heard. Maduro lost. Freedom won. Then Maduro killed it, declared victory illegally," a voiceover in the video says.
"Where did Maduro learn this trick? From Donald Trump. Trump loves dictators. Maduro learned from Trump that he could lose an election, then lie about it. If you love Maduro, you'll love what Trump does next."
The Lincoln Project added in an X post, "While we're fighting for democracy at home, let's remember foreign dictators are following Trump's example."
That's a reference, of course, to Trump's actions during the 2020 election. Before Election Day, Trump made numerous claims that if he lost, it was because the election was "rigged." He made similar assertions before his victory in 2016.
After the 2020 race was called for President Joe Biden, Trump and many of his surrogates incessantly pushed baseless claims of widespread voter fraud, leading to protests culminating in the deadly Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol at which Trump supporters unsuccessfully tried to stop certification of the election results.
Trump, Gov. Ron DeSantis and many other GOP notables have since downplayed the riot, with Trump saying he would "absolutely" pardon convicted Jan. 6 rioters if he wins in November. More than 1,400 people have been charged in the attack. Trump has called them "unbelievable patriots" and political prisoners held "hostage" by Democrats and the Biden administration.
This election cycle, Trump has repeatedly refused to say he'll accept the election results if they are not in his favor.
Of note, Trump imposed numerous economic sanctions on Venezuela and individuals associated with Maduro's regime and offered a $15 million reward for information that could lead to Maduro's arrest. The "maximum pressure" policy marked a major escalation of U.S. action against the South American nation and Maduro's "illegitimate" reign.
Critics of those sanctions said they hurt everyday Venezuelans more than Maduro and his people. Last year, Biden eased oil sanctions against Venezuela in exchange for Maduro agreeing to allow international monitoring of his country's 2024 election. The Biden administration reimposed the sanctions in April, saying Maduro did not uphold his end of the bargain.
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