The eyes of the entire world are upon you today, every day,
and every day in the future. You cannot hide from the choice that now confronts you. You can choose to accept President Guaidó's generous offer of amnesty, to live your life in peace with your families and your countrymen. President Guaidó does not seek retribution against you, and neither do we. But you must not follow Maduro's orders to block humanitarian aid, and you must not threaten any form of violence against peaceful protestors - (applause) - opposition leaders, members of the National Assembly, or President Guaidó and his family.
We seek a peaceful transition of power, but all options are open. (Applause.) We want to restore Venezuelan democracy, and we believe that the Venezuelan military and its leadership have a vital role to play in this process. If you choose this path, you have the opportunity to help forge a safe and prosperous future for all the people of Venezuela.
Or you can choose the second path: continuing to support Maduro.
AUDIENCE: Booo -
THE PRESIDENT: If you choose this path, you will find no safe harbor, no easy exit, and no way out. You will lose everything. (Applause.)
So today, I ask every member of the Maduro regime: End this nightmare of poverty, hunger, and death for your people. Let your people go. Set your country free. Now is the time for all Venezuelan patriots to act together as one united people. (Applause.) Nothing could be better for the future of Venezuela. And nothing could be better for the future of another captive nation - Cuba - than the rebirth of freedom and democracy in Venezuela. (Applause.)
AUDIENCE: USA! USA! USA!
THE PRESIDENT: For decades, the socialist dictatorships of Cuba and Venezuela have propped each other up in a very corrupt bargain. Venezuela gave Cuba oil. In return, Cuba gave Venezuela a police state run directly from Havana. (Applause.)
But this is a much different day, and those days are over. (Applause.) The ugly alliance between the two dictatorships is coming to a rapid end. A new future is beginning. All of us in this arena, and thousands and thousands and thousands of people outside - you have to see it - are united because we know the truth about socialism in Venezuela, in Cuba, in Nicaragua, and all around the world. (Applause.)
Socialism promises prosperity, but it delivers poverty.
Socialism promises unity, but it delivers hatred and it delivers division. Socialism promises a better future, but it always returns to the darkest chapters of the past. That never fails. It always happens.
Socialism is a sad and discredited ideology rooted in the total ignorance of history and human nature, which is why socialism, eventually, must always give rise to tyranny, which it does. (Applause.) Socialists profess a love of diversity, but they always insist on absolute conformity.
We know that socialism is not about justice, it's not about equality, it's not about lifting up the poor. Socialism is about one thing only: power for the ruling class. (Applause.) And the more power they get, the more they crave. They want to run healthcare, run transportation and finance, run energy, education - run everything.
They want the power to decide who wins and who loses, who's up and who's down, what's true and what's false, and even who lives and who dies. (Applause.)
In short, all of us here today know that there is nothing less democratic than socialism. Everywhere and anywhere it appears, socialism advances under the banner of progress, but in the end, it delivers only corruption, exploitation, and decay.
With us today is David Smolansky. (Applause.) David was one of the youngest mayors in Venezuelan history when the Maduro regime removed him from office and issued a warrant for his arrest. David fled into Venezuela's treacherous southern jungle. Eventually, David reached Brazil, where he was welcomed with open arms.
Today, David lives in exile in the United States, where he continues to speak up for the Venezuelan people. Sadly, David is the third generation of his family to flee the agony of socialism and communism. David's grandparents fled the Soviet Union in 1927, and his father fled communist Cuba in 1970.
As David said, "The difference I want to have from my father and grandfather is to go back to my country." (Applause.) "My grandparents never went back to Kiev...my father has not been back to Havana. I hope I can [soon] return to Venezuela." (Applause.) I think that will happen, David.
Thank you very much, David. I think it'll soon happen. Your courage, David, is an inspiration. And not only David; many of the people in this room. You've been through much, but you see it coming to the end. You see it really coming to an end for the first time. For the first time, you're seeing it - because the United States, a true great nation, is behind you. (Applause.)
AUDIENCE: USA! USA! USA!
THE PRESIDENT: And so as the United States stands up for democracy in Venezuela, we reaffirm the solidarity with the long-suffering people of Cuba and Nicaragua and people everywhere living under socialist and communist regimes.
And to those who would try to impose socialism on the United States, we again deliver a very simple message: America will never be a socialist country. (Applause.)
We are born free and we will stay free, now and forever.
(Applause.) We know what freedom can do in Venezuela because we have seen that future right here in Doral.
We know what freedom can do in Cuba because we have seen that future right here in Miami. (Applause.)
We know what freedom can do in Nicaragua because we have seen that future in Sweetwater. (Applause.)
And one day soon, with God's help, we are going to see what the people will do in Caracas and Managua and Havana. (Applause.)
And when Venezuela is free, and Cuba is free, and Nicaragua is free, this will become the first free hemisphere in all of human history. (Applause.)
It was my great honor to be with you today, and the First Lady's great honor to be with you today. We are winning. We are winning on every front.
Thank you. God bless you. God bless the people of Venezuela. God bless the people of Cuba. God bless the people of Nicaragua. And God bless the United States of America. (Applause.) Thank you very much.
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