US President Donald Trump on Tuesday said he was offended by captured Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro’s attempts to mock his signature rally dance, describing the move as a provocative act that helped push Washington toward decisive action.
Speaking to House Republicans during a retreat at the Trump-Kennedy Centre in Washington, DC, Trump accused Maduro of imitating his dance style in what he characterised as defiant behaviour ahead of his capture.
“He gets up there, and he tries to imitate my dance a little bit,” Trump told lawmakers. “But he’s a violent guy. He’s a violent guy, and he’s killed millions of people.”
Trump was referring to a viral video aired on Venezuelan state television late last year, in which Maduro was seen dancing to a remix of his slogan “No War, Yes Peace,” with English audio repeating “No crazy war.” The clip aired days after a US strike on a Venezuelan dock and was interpreted by the White House as an effort to mock American warnings.
According to reports cited by The New York Times, the episode was viewed inside the administration as a tipping point, reinforcing the belief that Maduro no longer took US threats seriously and accelerating plans for the military operation that led to his capture.
While praising what he called the “tactical brilliance” of the operation, Trump spent much of his address discussing the optics of Maduro’s performance. He contrasted it with criticism he says he regularly receives at home from First Lady Melania Trump about his own stage antics.
“My wife hates when I do this,” Trump said, referring to his rally dance. “She’s a very classy person, right? She said, ‘It’s so unpresidential.’”
Trump said he tried to explain that supporters expect the routine. “Everybody wants me to dance,” he recalled telling her. According to Trump, her response was blunt: “Darling, it’s not presidential.”
He added that Melania Trump had even invoked history. “She actually said, ‘Could you imagine FDR dancing?’”
Trump defended himself by referencing former President Franklin D. Roosevelt. “And I said, there’s a long history that perhaps she doesn’t know. Because (Roosevelt) was an elegant fellow, even as a Democrat,” he said.
The president also said the first lady disapproves of his habit of miming weightlifting on stage while discussing transgender athletes in women’s sports. “Darling, please, the weightlifting is terrible,” Trump quoted her as saying.
Despite the criticism, Trump insisted his supporters enjoyed the performances. “The dance they really like,” he said he told her. Her reply, according to Trump: “They don’t like it. They’re just being nice to you.”
The comments added a surreal tone to serious legal proceedings unfolding in New York, where Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, were arraigned this week on charges including narcoterrorism and cocaine trafficking.
Looking ahead, Trump reiterated that the United States would oversee Venezuela’s transition for an indefinite period, including efforts to rebuild the country’s damaged oil infrastructure. He warned that any resistance from remaining loyalists or Vice President Delcy Rodríguez would be met with a stronger military response, saying American dominance in the Western Hemisphere “will never be questioned again.”
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