MIAMI – Republican Sen. Marco Rubio announced Wednesday President Donald Trump officially recognized Juan Guaido, the new 35-year-old president of the Venezuelan parliament, as the legitimate constitution president of Venezuela.
Rubio said he was grateful for Trump's support of freedom in Cuba, Nicaragua and Venezuela and of his understanding that the socialist regimes in both countries create problems for the U.S.
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"This president understands that that cancer in Caracas is led by the cancer in Havana and has also spread to the cancer in Managua," Rubio said. "It is a cancer that is a threat to our national security."
Rubio said he was looking forward to continuing to working with Trump on other measures to help those countries regain their democracy.
"Right now it’s the largest refugee crisis in the history of this hemisphere," Rubio said. "You have Venezuelans in what used to be one of the wealthiest countries in the planet having to flee and now they are frankly all throughout the hemisphere."
Rubio also highlighted the images of the street protests that were going viral on social media saying they were impactful.
61 years ago #Venezuela overthrew a dictatorship. Today, just like January 23, 1958, is a historic day for Venezuelans marching against #Maduro’s narco-terrorist tyranny and raising their voice in support of the Provisional President of #Venezuela @jguaido. pic.twitter.com/jvhQ8KXJKo
— Marco Rubio (@marcorubio) January 23, 2019
Trump also wrote on Twittter that Venezuelan authorities may use "agitators" to employ violence so they can later accuse opposition leaders of terrorism.
"The regime's response is being directed by #Cuba's intelligence agency," Maduro wrote. "Expect them to undertake a massive disinformation effort, cut off internet, use agitators to provoke violence & ultimately accuse members of National Assembly of treason & terrorism."
Rubio posted several messages Wednesday morning in both English and Spanish while Venezuelans marched in the streets demanding that President Nicolas Maduro step down from power.