United States President Donald Trump has stirred controversy after sharing a provocative graphic on his Truth Social platform depicting Venezuela as the “51st State” of the United States.
The image, posted Tuesday night, showed a map of Venezuela overlaid with the American flag alongside the label “51st State.” The post came as Trump was travelling to China for a high-level summit, drawing renewed global attention to Washington’s evolving relationship with the South American nation.
Trump’s post followed comments he made during a recent interview with Fox News, where he acknowledged he was considering the possibility of Venezuelan statehood after repeatedly boasting about US influence in the oil-rich country.
“I am seriously considering it,” Trump reportedly said when asked about the idea of Venezuela becoming part of the United States.
The remarks come months after US forces captured former Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro during a January operation that dramatically reshaped the country’s political landscape.
Responding to the speculation earlier this week, Venezuela’s interim president, Delcy Rodriguez, firmly rejected the suggestion that her country could become a US state.
“We will continue defending the integrity, the sovereignty, the independence, our history,” Rodriguez said, adding that Venezuela had “never” considered becoming America’s 51st state.
Despite dismissing the idea, Rodriguez has overseen improving relations between Caracas and Washington since assuming office. Her administration has introduced reforms reopening Venezuela’s oil and mining industries to foreign investment, particularly from American firms.
Meanwhile, pressure continues to mount from opposition groups demanding fresh democratic elections in Venezuela. However, Rodriguez has remained vague about when a new vote could take place.
When asked recently about a possible election timeline, the interim leader said she “didn’t know” and suggested it would happen “sometime” in the future.
