section_path: Theological emphases and teachings/International policy
section_name: International policy
paragraph_text: International policy
  
  Francis had regularly been accused by conservatives of having a "soft spot" for leftist populist movements.
  
  After Francis's visit to Cuba in 2015, Catholic Yale historian Carlos Eire said Francis had a " preferential option for the oppressors" in Cuba. Francis had expressed criticism towards right-wing populism. Since 2016, Francis had been contrasted with US president Donald Trump, with some conservative critics drawing comparisons between the two. During the 2016 United States presidential election, Francis said of Trump, "A person who only thinks about building walls, wherever they may be, and not building bridges, is not Christian." Trump responded, "For a religious leader to question a person's faith is disgraceful."
  
  In response to criticism from Venezuela's bishops, President Nicolás Maduro said in 2017 that he had the support of Francis. Francis met with the country's bishops in June 2017, and the Venezuelan bishops' conference president stated, "There is no distance between the episcopal conference and the Holy See." In January 2019, 20 former presidents in Latin America wrote a letter to Francis criticizing his Christmas address regarding the ongoing Venezuelan crisis for being too simplistic and for not acknowledging what they believed to be the causes of the suffering of the victims of the crisis. Francis had sought peace in the crisis without picking a side.