Trump says Venezuela would be ‘far safer place’ for him if he loses election

Former President Donald Trump said he would leave the United States and stop by Venezuela should he lose the 2024 election.

In an interview on X with entrepreneur Elon Musk, which was plagued with problems, Trump expressed interest in meeting with Musk in Venezuela, according to Newsweek. The former president said Venezuela, which has been roiled in unrest since a controversial presidential election, would be “a far safer place.”

“If something happens with this election, which would be a horror show, we’ll meet the next time in Venezuela because it’ll be a far safer place to meet than our country,” Trump said. “OK, so we’ll go. You and I will go, and we’ll have a meeting and dinner in Venezuela.”

Trump further said the crime rate in Venezuela has dropped while the crime rate in the U.S. has risen.

“Their crime rate is coming down, and our crime rate is going through the roof. And it’s so simple. And you haven’t seen anything yet because these people have come into our country, and they’re just getting acclimated, and they don’t know about being politically correct, law enforcement, or lack of law enforcement and our police. I have to just end with this. We have great police,” he said, according to the outlet.

The Major Cities Chiefs Association released a report last week showing violent crime in most major cities has dropped overall year to year. The report, which compiles crime statistics from the police departments of 69 major counties and cities from Jan. 1 through June 30, showed a roughly 6% drop in violent crime.

Trump has made similar claims a number of times, including when he said Venezuela is sending its criminals to the U.S., though the accuracy of that idea has been questioned.

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, who claimed victory in a controversial election two weeks ago, has also banned X in the country, establishing a ten-day ban on Aug. 9, after Musk accused Maduro of partaking in a “great electoral fraud.”

The 10 days are so that X can “present its documents,” though the documents the company is required to present have not been specified.