Venezuela didn’t collapse overnight — it voted its way there.

In this episode of Ami’s House, we’re joined by Daniel DiMartino, a Venezuelan-born economist and fellow at the Manhattan Institute, to explain how one of the richest countries in the world unraveled into authoritarianism, poverty, and mass exile.

Daniel walks us through what it was actually like to grow up in Venezuela as power slowly centralized, institutions weakened, and socialist policies hollowed out a once-prosperous society — all through democratic means.

We discuss:

• How Venezuela went from top-10 in economic freedom to near the bottom

• Why oil wealth failed to prevent collapse

• The difference between Venezuela and Iraq-style regime change

• What American debates about socialism and executive power often ignore

• Why Venezuelans overwhelmingly reject the Maduro regime

This is a sober, firsthand conversation about incentives, power, and the slow erosion of democratic guardrails — and why Venezuela matters far beyond South America.

Follow Ami’s House for long-form conversations that prioritize depth over noise.