President Donald Trump spoke to the Venezuelan community in Miami on Feb. 18, highlighting the catastrophe of misgovernment in Venezuela due to its experiment with socialism. He called attention to similar situations in Cuba and Nicaragua, framing what amounted to a policy of freedom-centered government in our hemisphere.

The New York Times-sourced article, “Trump’s speech on Venezuela seen to contain veiled warning” (Star-Advertiser, Feb. 19), cast the speech as a 2020 election ploy by Trump, using terms such as “seen as a bid to win over … a critical block of voters” and “adoption of ‘socialist’ as an all-purpose epithet.”

Missing in the article is mention of the Trump-led international response to the Venezuelan nightmare with more than 20 countries (including 12 in Latin America) calling for a change in Venezuelan government.

The Star-Advertiser would better serve its readers by using news sources that provide the real impact of events without distorting interpretations that suggest a political bias.

Tom Freitas

Hawaii Kai

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