On July 24th, U.S. President Donald Trump said in response to reporters at the White House that he had ‘long known about Venezuela’. This was because he once owned a beauty organization called Miss Universe, and Venezuelan contestants performed very well in that competition.
Trump owned the Miss Universe organization since 1996, and sold it in 2015. During his tenure, a Venezuelan representative won the Miss Universe title four times: in 1996, 2008, 2009, and 2013.
Among the women who have won the Miss Universe title, there is the Venezuelan beauty Alicia Machado. She won the beauty pageant in the same year that Trump acquired the organization. However, when Trump first ran for president, she became one of Trump's most vocal critics.
Trump not only knew Machado, but it is also reported that in 1996, during her time as Miss Universe, she was called “Miss Pig” by Trump due to her weight gain. Twenty years later, when Trump ran for president, she brought this accusation against him. During that period, Trump also repeatedly criticized her weight.
According to American media reports, when asked when elections will be held in Venezuela, Trump said, "As for the elections in Venezuela, they are not yet fully prepared, but considerable progress has been made."
