Donald Trump and Marco Rubio during a campaign event in Raleigh, North Carolina, November 4, 2024. Photo: Evan Vucci/AP.
US business owners are reportedly pressuring US President-elect Donald Trump to reconsider his policy towards Venezuela and abandon the “maximum pressure campaign” against the country.
According to an article published by The Wall Street Journal, a group of US business owners are trying to put pressure on Trump to hold negotiations with the president of Venezuela, Nicolás Maduro.
Businessman Harry Sargeant, associated with the energy sector, has reportedly explained to the future Donald Trump administration the possible advantages of reaching an agreement with Nicolás Maduro.
According to the WSJ report, business leaders argue that an eventual agreement between Trump and Maduro would reduce illegal migration and lower oil prices for US consumers.
They further argue that a rapprochement with Venezuela would facilitate the supply of oil, thereby increasing US access to energy at more competitive prices.
“By facilitating the supply of oil to the United States and accepting US deportation flights, Maduro could help achieve Trump’s main political objectives,” the article quoted Sargeant as saying.
Sargeant reportedly added that the renewed flow of high-quality, low-cost Venezuelan asphalt to the US would be of benefit for the US taxpayers.
He also pointed out that the current sanctions policy has harmed the United States’ strategic interests by turning Venezuelan oil into a low-cost resource that benefits the Chinese economy.
It remains to be seen whether the Trump administration will take into account the suggestions of US business owners, given that the team that the president-elect has announced in recent weeks has a radical anti-Venezuela position.
Republican Senator Marco Rubio, chosen to become the new US secretary of State, has repeatedly condemned some measures taken by President Joe Biden to allow some US and European oil operations in Venezuela.
(RedRadioVE) by Ana Perdigón
Translation: Orinoco Tribune
OT/JRE/SC
