Trump Seriously Considering Making Venezuela the 51st U.S. State

The Possibility of Venezuela Becoming the 51st U.S. State

After a military operation removes a foreign leader from power, what steps does a president take? For President Donald Trump, one option is to consider making that country the United States' newest state. During a phone call with Fox News co-anchor John Roberts on Monday, May 12, Trump suggested that he was "seriously considering a move to make Venezuela the 51st state," citing the country's estimated $40 trillion in oil reserves. This statement raises a significant question: can he actually do it?

Venezuela is more than just a political talking point. Following a U.S. military operation that removed President Nicolás Maduro from power, the Trump administration has been actively engaging with oil companies to invest in the South American nation. With the Trump administration now overseeing Venezuela's oil sector, exports in April reached over 1 million barrels per day, the highest level since 2018. The statehood remark did not come out of nowhere; it coincided with the United States already managing Venezuela's most valuable industry.

After U.S. military officials captured Maduro in January, Trump stated that the United States would "run" the country during its transitional period. "We're going to run the country until such time as we can do a safe, proper and judicious transition," Trump said. "We want peace, liberty and justice for the great people of Venezuela." While this promise of stability sounds positive, it is now clashing with a more provocative ambition—one that is already drawing resistance from within Venezuela itself.

Venezuela's Acting President Rejects the Idea

Venezuela's acting President Delcy Rodríguez made it clear that her country has no plans to become the 51st U.S. state. Speaking to journalists on Monday, Rodríguez emphasized that Venezuela would never consider such an idea. She was addressing the International Court of Justice in The Hague on the final day of hearings in a territorial dispute between Venezuela and Guyana. The timing was significant: the woman managing a country whose independence Trump had just questioned was, at that moment, defending Venezuela's borders before the world's highest court.

Rodríguez was unambiguous. "That would never have been considered, because if there is one thing we Venezuelan men and women have, it is that we love our independence process, we love our heroes and heroines of independence," she told reporters when asked about Trump's remarks. She added, "Venezuela is not a colony, but a free country." Her defiance was clear, sending a message to Washington that any path toward annexation would face immediate opposition from Caracas.

The White House framed the broader relationship in a more positive light. According to a statement provided to USA TODAY, White House assistant press secretary Olivia Whales said, "Relations between Venezuela and the United States have been extraordinary. Oil is starting to flow, and large amounts of money, unseen for many years, will soon be helping the great people of Venezuela." However, this optimistic view glosses over a key tension: Washington is simultaneously courting Venezuela's resources while threatening its sovereignty.

Trump's History of Annexation Proposals

Venezuela is just the latest in a series of countries that Trump has considered for annexation. His list includes Greenland, Canada, Cuba, and Panama. Each case follows a similar pattern: Trump identifies a strategic or economic prize and then publicly muses about incorporating it into the United States. The language varies between friendly invitations and geopolitical pressure, but the underlying logic remains consistent—resources and location drive the calculus.

Even when the rhetoric is wrapped in celebration, like when Venezuela won a World Baseball Classic game in March, the underlying motive is clear. The contradiction between Trump's statehood talk and his administration's aggressive immigration stance is both symbolic and strategic. A nationality treated as suspect at the border becomes a partner when tied to lucrative oil fields and critical mineral deposits. Trump's own administration has deported hundreds of accused members of Tren de Aragua, a Venezuelan gang, under the 1798 Alien Enemies Act. Framing Venezuelans as both a threat and a potential future constituency is not an oversight—it reflects a policy built around assets, not people.

Trump has also suggested that Canada should be the 51st state, a position repeatedly rejected by Canadian leaders. Current Prime Minister Mark Carney told Trump directly that Canada "is not for sale, won't be for sale, ever." For Greenland, Trump cited national security and missile defense corridors. Across all these targets, a consistent worldview emerges: sovereignty is negotiable if the price or pressure is high enough. Venezuela's $40 trillion in oil reserves makes it a top priority.

Legal Framework and Practical Challenges

Article IV of the U.S. Constitution allows Congress to admit new states through a simple majority vote in both the House and Senate, plus the president's signature. However, for this to happen, Venezuela's government and people would first have to agree to give up their national sovereignty and seek admission to the United States. Neither condition is even close to being met. Rodríguez has already said no. Congress has not been consulted. And no formal proposal has been submitted. What exists right now is a presidential suggestion, not a policy.

Historically, new states have entered the Union from U.S. territories rather than from independent foreign countries. Before statehood, territories typically have a local government, a permanent population, and residents who support becoming a state. Venezuela lacks all of these preconditions. It has a contested acting government, a population that has long asserted its independence, and its own constitution. The legal route from here to statehood is not just difficult; according to CNN, it would require Venezuela's full consent, something Caracas has already publicly refused.

Trump has previously floated the statehood idea in the form of baseball celebrations and social media posts, which makes annexation sound like a cultural wink rather than a constitutional rupture. But each time the idea resurfaces, it carries more institutional weight, because U.S. companies are already operating in Venezuela's oil fields. The question is no longer whether Trump is serious—it is whether the structures being quietly built on the ground are creating facts that even Congress and the Constitution will one day struggle to undo.