SOMEONE EXPLAINED TO DONALD...:

That contradicts comments he made in an interview with Axios in which he second-guessed his own administration's decision to recognize opposition leader Juan Guaidó as the South American country's legitimate president. On the potential Maduro meeting, he said "you lose very little with meetings."

The interview, published Sunday night, immediately sent shockwaves through Florida's political ecosystem, especially in South Florida, which is home to more than 400,000 Hispanics of Venezuelan origin. Many of those are expats who fled Maduro's socialist regime. During a briefing Monday, White House spokesperson Kayleigh McEnany clarified that, despite his comments, Trump continues to view Guaidó as Venezuela's legitimate leader.

The mere flirtation with diplomatic talks with Maduro could hurt Trump's standing in the nation's largest swing state, which he needs to win in November in order to return to the White House for a second term. It also has big down-ticket implications as Republicans try to flip a vulnerable Miami congressional seat and fend off Democrats' attempt to win seats in the region that could inch them close to taking control of the Florida Senate for the first time in nearly two decades.

Republicans up and down the ballot have also galvanized around a central 2020 messaging strategy focused on branding Democrats as far-left lovers of socialism. Months of that groundwork is now, at least in part, set back by the president's own comments.

"Trump talks tough on Venezuela, but admires thugs and dictators like Nicolas Maduro," Joe Biden tweeted Sunday night. "As President, I will stand with the Venezuelan people and for democracy."

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