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Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro danced to a remix of his own peace slogans at a student rally in Caracas – the latest act of defiance after his performance of John Lennon’s “Imagine” while US warships patrol near its coast.
Video from the National University Student Day celebration shows Maduro swaying to the beat, seemingly mimicking President Donald Trump’s trademark dance moves – with a noticeably looser sway.
The electronic track featured Maduro’s own phrases – recycled from speeches promoting peace and rejecting war – as tensions with the US continue rising.
Reuters identified the remix as “Peace, yes. War, no.”
At one point, the Venezuelan leader punctuated the beat with finger pistols – a playful “pew, pew” gesture captured on camera.
The clip surfaced about a week after Maduro sang “Imagine” at a rally, urging peace while the Trump administration reinforced its military presence near Venezuela to stem drug trafficking.
Maduro invoked Lennon as he spoke about peace, calling the former member of The Beatles a poet and musician who left a “gift to humanity.”
He urged young people to read the lyrics, describing the song as an anthem for every generation.
In the video, Maduro paused mid-speech to recall Lennon’s song, singing a few words before reflecting on its meaning.
“What a beautiful song. The lyrics – young people, look up the lyrics,” he said, according to a translation. “It’s an inspiration for all time. It’s an anthem for all eras and generations that John Lennon left as a gift to humanity. Long live the eternal memory of that great poet and musician, John Lennon.”
As Maduro preaches peace, the US has significantly increased its military presence across the Caribbean, deploying bombers, warships and Marines as part of a campaign targeting drug-trafficking operations in the region, including airstrikes on suspected smuggling vessels.
On Monday, the State Department formally announced the Cartel de los Soles would be designated as a foreign terrorist organization.
The Cartel de los Soles, or “Cartel of the Suns,” refers to a network of government and military officials in Venezuela engaged in drug trafficking.
Fox News Digital’s Emma Bussey contributed to this report.
