"The United States remains committed to the Venezuelan people, who have suffered immensely under the Maduro regime," Trump said on Monday. "We call for the Maduro regime to restore democracy, hold free and fair elections, release all political prisoners immediately and unconditionally, and end the repression and economic deprivation of the Venezuelan people."
Trump said his administration took action to prevent Venezuelans officials from liquidating assets that could help Venezuela’s economy.
"This order is the most recent in a strong, consistent stream of actions my Administration has taken targeting the Maduro regime," Trump added.
On Sunday, Venezuela held its presidential election, with four candidates in the running. According to the National Electoral Council, incumbent leader Maduro was re-elected as Venezuelan president, having secured 68 percent of votes, with slightly over 46-percent voter turnout.
Following the announcement of the Venezuelan election’s preliminary results, a number of countries, such as the United States, Argentina, Spain, Germany, and the United Kingdom characterized the vote as either unfair or illegitimate, questioning the transparent and inclusive nature of the electoral process.