Pedro Mario Burelli, a veteran Venezuelan political operative and an opponent of Mr. Maduro’s movement, called the visit part of an effort to “freak him out” — to scare Mr. Maduro into believing that the global political tide is increasingly turning against him.

Edmundo Gonzalez, whom the White House called the “president-elect” of Venezuela despite Nicolas Maduro’s continued hold on the country, said his son-in-law was kidnapped in Caracas the day after he met with President Joe Biden.

Venezuela’s exiled opposition leader Edmundo González Urrutia has urged the Venezuelan military to recognize him as their commander-in-chief and “put an end to the leadership” of President Nicolás Maduro,