BOGOTA, Colombia _ As Vice President Mike Pence tours Latin America this week and tries to play down Donald Trump's fiery rhetoric, Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro is playing up Trump's military threats to rally the masses in his troubled nation and, perhaps, rationalize a political crackdown.
Venezuela held "anti-imperialist" rallies across the nation Monday to protest Trump's assertion last week that he wouldn't rule out a "military option" to force democratic change in the socialist country.
Talking to a crowd of red-clad supporters, Maduro called the veiled threat one of the greatest provocations "in the history of Venezuela's international relations." And he ordered the mobilization of "millions" of troops and volunteers Aug. 26-27 to drill for a potential U.S. invasion.
"Venezuelan soil is sacred, and it should never be touched by an imperialist Yankee boot, Maduro said.
Monday's pro-government rallies were some of the largest in recent months and come after Trump's off-the-cuff comments jarred a region that finds the mere suggestion of U.S. military intervention toxic.
On Monday, Pence flew from Cartagena, Colombia, to Buenos Aires, as he continued a tour that will also take him to Chile and Panama. On Sunday, Pence reassured allies in the region that Trump believed a "peaceful solution" was possible for Venezuela and that the bellicose talk was simply an expression of Washington's "determination."
But Maduro suggested that he may capitalize on the statements to hammer opponents. On Monday, he asked authorities to investigate the "traitors" who have "come out and asked for intervention ... and supported Donald Trump's threats."
Maduro also found propaganda fodder in another U.S. event: Saturday's deadly "Unite the Right" rally in Charlottesville, Va.
Maduro told the crowds that "white supremacists, the Ku Klux Klan and fascists were marching with Nazi flags ... and with shields that were similar to the shields that guarimberos (anti-government protesters) use in East Caracas."
Venezuela has been hammered by more than four months of protests in which more than 120 people have died. Frequently, the young men and women protesting carry makeshift shields and sticks as they face off against police _ often with deadly consequences for the demonstrators.
"Behind the white supremacists is the power that has taken over the White House and the venues where decisions are made by the North American imperialists," Maduro said.
While Maduro singled out the State Department, CIA and Pentagon, he didn't mention one of his favorite targets: Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla.
On Sunday, the Miami Herald reported that U.S. intelligence received uncorroborated evidence that Venezuelan hard-liner Diosdado Cabello may have hired Mexican hit men to assassinate Rubio.
Cabello, a member of the National Constituent Assembly, or ANC, an all-powerful body that will rewrite the constitution, spoke extensively during Monday's rallies but didn't address the allegations.
Monday's demonstrations also doubled as campaign rallies for upcoming regional elections. On Saturday, the ANC, in a surprise move that highlights the scope of its power, moved up elections for governor and state legislative posts from Dec. 10 to sometime in October.
The government said the change was necessary to quell the violence. The opposition said it was meant to short-circuit their primary process.
Maduro said the election, and the opposition's reluctant participation, is proof that democracy is thriving in Venezuela.
"Mike Pence says that Venezuela is a dictatorship and that there's no democracy here," Maduro said. "But it turns out we will be having our 22nd election in two months."
"That's why I want to talk to Trump on the telephone and explain to him 'Mr. Trump you are being tricked,'" he said. "'Trump, everything they tell you about Venezuela is a lie.'"
Trump has said he won't talk to Maduro until democracy is restored in the country.
