<p>US President Donald Trump said Monday he would only meet with Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro to discuss his exit from power.</p>.<p>Trump had said in an interview Sunday that he would "think about" meeting with Maduro, a leftist autocrat whose ouster Washington has pursued with little success since early 2019 despite punishing sanctions and diplomatic pressure.</p>.<p>The president's comments were widely interpreted as a sign of weakening US support for Juan Guaido, the opposition leader who Washington and nearly 60 other countries have backed in a power struggle with Maduro.</p>.<p>On Twitter, however, Trump insisted, "I will ALWAYS stand against socialism and the people of Venezuela."</p>.<p>"I would only meet with Maduro to discuss one thing: a peaceful exit from power!"</p>.<p>Doubts about Trump's support for the Venezuelan opposition leader also were raised by John Bolton in his new tell-all book about his tenure as Trump's national security adviser.</p>.<p>In published excerpts, Bolton wrote that Trump "thought Guaido was 'weak,' as opposed to Maduro, who was 'strong.'"</p>.<p>According to Bolton, Trump also called Guaido "the Beto O'Rourke of Venezuela," the Democratic presidential candidate who dropped out early in the race and was repeatedly mocked by Trump.</p>.<p>Despite tensions between Washington and Maduro's socialist government, Trump told news site Axios he would be open to a meeting with Maduro.</p>.<p>"I would maybe think about that ... Maduro would like to meet. And I'm never opposed to meetings -- you know, rarely opposed to meetings," the president said.</p>.<p>"I always say, you lose very little with meetings. But at this moment, I've turned them down."</p>.<p>Tensions flared even further in May when Venezuela detained 52 alleged mercenaries, including two retired members of the US military, accusing them of orchestrating a maritime "invasion" with US support.</p>.<p>Washington denied any involvement.</p>.<p>But despite his government's consistent backing of the opposition leader, Axios said that during the interview, Trump "indicated he doesn't have much confidence in Guaido."</p>.<p>The president said he was "firmly against what's going on in Venezuela," but -- referring to the recognition of Guaido -- added: "I was OK with it ... I don't think it was very meaningful one way or the other."</p>
<p>US President Donald Trump said Monday he would only meet with Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro to discuss his exit from power.</p>.<p>Trump had said in an interview Sunday that he would "think about" meeting with Maduro, a leftist autocrat whose ouster Washington has pursued with little success since early 2019 despite punishing sanctions and diplomatic pressure.</p>.<p>The president's comments were widely interpreted as a sign of weakening US support for Juan Guaido, the opposition leader who Washington and nearly 60 other countries have backed in a power struggle with Maduro.</p>.<p>On Twitter, however, Trump insisted, "I will ALWAYS stand against socialism and the people of Venezuela."</p>.<p>"I would only meet with Maduro to discuss one thing: a peaceful exit from power!"</p>.<p>Doubts about Trump's support for the Venezuelan opposition leader also were raised by John Bolton in his new tell-all book about his tenure as Trump's national security adviser.</p>.<p>In published excerpts, Bolton wrote that Trump "thought Guaido was 'weak,' as opposed to Maduro, who was 'strong.'"</p>.<p>According to Bolton, Trump also called Guaido "the Beto O'Rourke of Venezuela," the Democratic presidential candidate who dropped out early in the race and was repeatedly mocked by Trump.</p>.<p>Despite tensions between Washington and Maduro's socialist government, Trump told news site Axios he would be open to a meeting with Maduro.</p>.<p>"I would maybe think about that ... Maduro would like to meet. And I'm never opposed to meetings -- you know, rarely opposed to meetings," the president said.</p>.<p>"I always say, you lose very little with meetings. But at this moment, I've turned them down."</p>.<p>Tensions flared even further in May when Venezuela detained 52 alleged mercenaries, including two retired members of the US military, accusing them of orchestrating a maritime "invasion" with US support.</p>.<p>Washington denied any involvement.</p>.<p>But despite his government's consistent backing of the opposition leader, Axios said that during the interview, Trump "indicated he doesn't have much confidence in Guaido."</p>.<p>The president said he was "firmly against what's going on in Venezuela," but -- referring to the recognition of Guaido -- added: "I was OK with it ... I don't think it was very meaningful one way or the other."</p>