President Donald Trump claimed that he knows a lot about Venezuela because he used to own the Miss Universe pageant, and Miss Venezuela always did well.
The president made the bizarre boast about his expertise on the South American country while speaking in the Oval Office after he was asked when the country would hold elections.
Trump, 80, rambled about the people of Venezuela and the activity since the U.S. military carried out an operation there to capture Nicolas Maduro in January, before making his head-turning claim.
“For a long time I’ve known that country, and you know, I owned the Miss Universe pageant, and Miss Venezuela always did very well in that pageant, so I know something about the country,” Trump declared.
Trump owned the Miss Universe Organization from 1996 until he sold it in 2015. While he was at the helm, Miss Venezuela was crowned Miss Universe four times.
Among those women to serve as Miss Universe was Miss Venezuela Alicia Machado, who won the pageant the same year Trump bought the organization, but she became one of his fiercest critics when he first ran for president.
Trump not only knew Machado, but he reportedly repeatedly attacked her weight both in 1996 and then 20 years later when he ran for president after she accused him of calling her “Miss Piggy” during her year as Miss Universe because she had gained weight.
After Machado was brought up by Hillary Clinton, Trump seized on her working with his political rival and repeated his attacks on her weight in 2016.
“She was the [Miss Universe] winner and, you know, she gained a massive amount of weight, and it was a real problem—we had a real problem,” Trump said on Fox News in September 2016, defending his past actions.
Three more women who were Miss Venezuela went on to be crowned Miss Universe while Trump owned the organization, including the winners in 2008, 2009 and 2013.
Trump on Friday brought up owning the Miss Universe Organization after being asked by a reporter when Venezuela will hold elections. The reporter noted that GOP Sen. Bernie Moreno had suggested one in exactly one year on July 24. 2027.
But the president does not appear to be ready to back elections in the South American country just yet.
“As far as the elections in Venezuela, they are not really ready for them yet, but boy, a lot of progress has been made,” Trump said.
He then praised Delcy Rodríguez, Maduro’s former number two, who has been acting as president since just after his capture and has been working with the Trump administration. The president said she was doing a “fantastic job.”
“The amount of oil coming out of Venezuela right now, even before the big companies, you know Exxon, all the big companies are looking at it. They’re going there,” Trump said. “It’s very fertile territory, but the amount of money being made by Venezuela now is more than they have ever made before, and we’re taking a lot also, you know, for our efforts.”
The president declared himself “very popular” in Venezuela for “bringing tremendous economics back to the country.”
The president said Venezuela and the U.S. are both making a lot and called it an “incredible relationship” as he put off the idea of the country holding elections to pick a new leader.
“They are not ready yet for the elections, but at some point they will be, and we’re going to be standing right on top of it,” Trump said.
That’s when he added his claim about knowing about Venezuela because of his pageant past, telling the reporter to say hello to the people there.
“For a long time I’ve known that country,” the president said. “You know, I owned the Miss Universe pageant, and Miss Venezuela always did very well in that pageant, so I know something about the country.”
