Ending Fugitive Rumors: Maduro Reappears in Public, Sipping Coffee, Minutes After Trump Confirms Phone Call

Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro made a surprising public appearance on Sunday for the first time in days, definitively ending widespread speculation in the country that he had fled amid escalating military tensions with the United States.

Maduro, who typically features frequently on Venezuelan television, had not been publicly seen since last Wednesday, when he posted a video of himself driving around Caracas on his Telegram channel.

On Sunday, Maduro chose to appear at the annual Specialized Coffee Awards ceremony in Miranda, a town on the outskirts of Caracas, as reported by CNN.

In the images broadcast live online, the Venezuelan President sat before a crowd, distributing medals to coffee producers. He also sipped various types of coffee while delivering brief remarks—none of which openly addressed the country’s current crisis. At the end of the ceremony, Maduro chanted and asserted that Venezuela is "indestructible, untouchable," speaking highly of the nation's economic sectors.

Coincidence with Trump's Confirmation:

This public reemergence came moments after US President Donald Trump confirmed that he had spoken with the Venezuelan leader by phone. When asked about the call aboard Air Force One, Trump replied: "I don't want to comment on that, the answer is yes," confirming the communication.

The timing of the call is highly sensitive, as the United States is intensifying pressure on Venezuela with significant military reinforcements in the Caribbean Sea, following an earlier warning from Trump that Venezuelan airspace was "closed."

It is worth noting that Washington accuses Maduro, the political successor to the late leftist leader Hugo Chávez, of leading the alleged drug-trafficking organization known as the "Cartel of the Suns," and has offered a $50 million reward for information leading to his arrest. Venezuela and its allies, however, insist that such a cartel does not exist.