A segment of the Rachel Maddow Show aired Thursday night blamed U.S. President Donald Trump for unrest and rioting in Venezuela.
Discussing a state-run oil company subsidiary’s $500 thousand donation to the Trump campaign during the 2016 election, a chyron overlaid at the bottom of the screen stated, “Unrest in Venezuela Over Trump Donations,” implying the Venezuelan people were rising up in response to news of the donations.
“Maddow herself did not expressly make that claim, but the show’s use of the chyron suggested the connection,” notes the Washington Free Beacon.
Protests targeted President Nicolás Maduro’s government over the jailing of an opposition leader and a refusal to hold general elections.
Maddow also did not mention other economic factors which forced Venezuelans to take to the streets, including food and medical shortages, power outages, extreme poverty, out-of-control inflation and more.
Many Venezuelas refrained from joining the protests Thursday saying they were too hungry.
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