Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro gestures as he arrives for a session of the National Constituent Assembly at Palacio Federal Legislativo in Caracas, Venezuela August 10, 2017. REUTERS/Ueslei Marcelino
CARACAS (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump's talk of possible military action in Venezuela could be a political lifeline for the country's unpopular leader, who has long used the threat of U.S. aggression to justify policies that have shredded the economy.
President Nicolas Maduro has continued the free-spending socialist "revolution" started by his predecessor, the late Hugo Chavez, almost 20 years ago. Key to the populist rhetoric used by both is a constant drumbeat of warnings that the U.S. "empire" is planning an invasion to steal Venezuela's oil.
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