With a nationwide blackout,a broken economy and a widely contested election result there are only so many things a leader can do to win popular support.
The Venezuelan leader has been shunned by many countries since Donald Trump sanctioned Venezuela and promoted an alternative president.
Beyond the laughs,analysts see an effort to improve the image of a leader in need of support in a country struggling through a years-long crisis.
A new parliamentary election has returned control of Congress to President Nicolas Maduro.
The coronavirus pandemic is swelling the gap between rich and poor in Venezuela,where there may be no starker case of inequality.
The Bank of England is holding $1.4 billion in gold deposits. Who gets to withdraw the riches? That depends.
The Venezuelan President claims his government has detained a marine who was"captured with specialised weapons,large amounts of dollars and other items."
"The government is using political prisoners as bargaining chips,"said one Caracas-based political analyst after the announcement.
Maduro aired a video of a 34-year-old Texas native who claims he signed a contract with a Florida-based company to train rebel troops and carry out the assault.
The US has openly said President Nicholas Maduro will never be allowed to govern again.
Maduro blasted back by accusing the US and Colombia of"giving orders to flood Venezuela with violence."