Ex Trump Admin Official Says Former President Privately Praised Venezuela's Maduro for 'Being Strong'

Former White House advisor during the Trump administration Olivia Troye revealed on Thursday that the former president privately expressed admiration for Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro despite publicly criticizing his government.

Troye, who worked as a senior national security and counterterrorism advisor to Vice President Mike Pence, said she noted Trump referred to Maduro as a "strong man" in private meetings, creating confusion among White House staff:

"I heard him talk about Maduro, he supported Maduro. And I was confused in those meetings because I was thinking: here we are saying 'freedom for Venezuela,' saying all these things, and here is the president affirming that Maduro is strong"

Troye left her White House position in August 2020, partly due to Trump's handling of the COVID-19 pandemic, which she said was influenced by political interests. Soon after, she publicly broke with the Republican Party, joining the group "Republican Voters Against Trump" and announcing her support for Joe Biden in the 2020 election.

Troye is now a member of "Republicans for Harris" and has urged disillusioned Republicans and independents to support Harris in the 2024 election. "I want to see someone in the White House who is responsible, who takes matters seriously during a crisis, and who is a president for everyone, not just for one group," Troye said. She also spoke at the Democratic National Convention to further help Harris' candidacy.

Troye, whose family has Mexican roots, also addressed Trump's anti-immigrant rhetoric, which affected her personally: "when a president uses certain words and speaks on these issues, the consequences are felt in our communities," she stated.

Her comments come amid concerns raised by several other former Trump advisors in recent days. One of the most notable was John Kelly, Trump's former chief of staff, who described Trump as meeting the definition of a "fascist.":

"Certainly the former president is in the far-right area, he's certainly an authoritarian, admires people who are dictators — he has said that. So he certainly falls into the general definition of fascist, for sure"