Trumpismo and Chavismo: two sides of the same coin

For months, Trump and Republicans have trafficked a dangerous lie intended to con Venezuelans into believing that their policies will benefit our community. They’ve argued that the United States under Vice President Joe Biden and Democrats will turn into Maduro’s socialist Venezuela. That’s a lie.

As a community that has lived through the devaluation of a country that has fallen to a populist autocrat, Venezuelans must call out this talking point for what it is. It’s a false narrative peddled by a dangerous autocratic leader and the Republicans who enable his lawless behavior. Trump and his GOP are using the Venezuelan community’s suffering and trauma inflicted by Maduro’s corrupt regime to con us into voting for Trump.

As members of a community that strive to live in a democratic and stable country, Venezuelans must recognize the fear tactics that Trump and his Republican enablers are using to maintain control. After all, it happened to Venezuela, and we all lived it or bore witness to it.

My family left Venezuela in the 1980s when the country was under a stable, democratically-elected government and boasted a solid economy. After Hugo Chávez and Nicolas Maduro’s rise to power, two autocratic leaders who have based their political strategy on populism and authoritarian tactics, the Venezuela we used to know become unrecognizable.

The country’s economic crisis and political turmoil hurled its citizens into abject poverty – 96 percent of the population lives in poverty, with a majority of Venezuelans living at 72 cents a day. Freedom of the press is non-existent, and anyone who opposes the regime is in danger of being arrested or worse. The economic and humanitarian crises in Venezuela were exacerbated by Chávez’s and Maduro’s government’s corruption, lack of transparency, lack of accountability, and the government’s full control of the media. It will not get better until the country regains its democratically-elected system.

Venezuelans in the United States should be able to read the writing on the wall. If we must fear one thing in this election, is falling into an authoritarian regime. And that is exactly how Trump and his Republican elected official enablers and cabinet are ruling the United States. Trump acts like an authoritarian leader with no accountability—and if we do not stop him, the United States will suffer the same fate as Venezuela did under Chavismo.

Trump’s behavior has mirrored Chávez’s and Maduro’s since day one of his administration. He attacks anyone who questions his authority or tries to hold him accountable to the American people. He flagrantly breaks the law without expecting any repercussions. The checks and balances system that is supposed to prevent the accumulation of power by one government branch is imploding by his actions. He discredits the media and purposely distorts information by going on Twitter and Fox News, and giving long-winded, incoherent speeches resembling Hugo Chávez’s Aló Presidente in Venezuela.

In addition, Trump’s refusal to control the Covid-19 led to nearly 200,000 dead and created an economic crisis that has been described as the worst in our history.

Trump’s actions are done with a sinister purpose in mind – to destabilize the country and establish an authoritarian regime in the United States. Venezuelans must open our eyes to Trump’s autocratic scheme. If we elect him again, there will be no point of return to the stable, democratic government that welcomed many of us as immigrants.

Venezuelans cannot fall into Trump’s con – he will never be a friend of Venezuela or Latin America. Along with Republicans, he has refused to grant TPS to Venezuelans who want to flee the dangerous regime and poverty caused by Maduro’s government. He would rather see our people die of starvation and suffer under an oppressive regime in our country than to acknowledge our humanity.

The Venezuelan community in the United States has the power to stop Trump and his Republican enablers from turning our nation into an authoritarian regime as Chávez and Maduro did in Venezuela. We can elect Vice President Joe Biden, who is unequivocal in his denunciation of Maduro and his commitment to supporting a democratically-elected government and has pledged to extend TPS for Venezuelans fleeing their country. Biden will also implement immediate plans to stop the Covid-19 pandemic and help restore the economy, and put forth a plan to maintain our country as the nation of immigrants that we’ve come to love.

Venezuelan voters can significantly impact the election in Florida, a key battleground state with approximately 50,000 eligible voters in this important ‘1 percent state.” With less than two months away from the election, the Venezuelan community has the opportunity to help restore good governance, common sense, and stability in the United States by registering to vote and making a plan to vote early, by mail or in person. We have the power to prove to Trump and his GOP that we will not fall for their fear tactics because we still believe in democracy and are willing to defend it.

Note: We selected this Op-Ed to be published in our opinion section as a contribution to public debate. The views and opinions expressed in this column are those of its author(s) and do not reflect the views or the editorial line of Univision News.