Trump Hints at Making Venezuela the 51st U.S. State

U.S. President Donald Trump has raised the possibility of Venezuela becoming the 51st state of the United States. Pointing to a tanker carrying one million barrels of oil—not just 100,000—he described the oil deal struck with Venezuela as the "greatest energy victory in history."

Trump made these remarks on Tuesday (October 27) at a campaign rally in Corpus Christi, Texas. He spoke about an oil agreement between the United States and Venezuela’s interim government, which emerged roughly nine months after efforts to oust Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro.

Trump stated that Venezuela would one day become a prosperous nation, adding that it could even become the 51st U.S. state in the near future—noting that such a possibility exists.

Trump claimed that the United States would receive a massive quantity of oil under the agreement with Venezuela’s interim government—potentially amounting to billions of barrels. Gesturing toward a ship off the Texas coast, he noted that it contained one million barrels of oil, asserting that this supply is being provided to the U.S. at no cost to American taxpayers.

"We are celebrating the greatest energy victory in history," Trump declared at the rally.

In a prior post on the social media platform Truth Social, he claimed that by establishing U.S. dominance in the energy sector—stretching from Alaska to Venezuela—he had transformed the Western Hemisphere into the world’s energy capital.

However, the deal has faced criticism. Detractors argue that the Trump administration failed to take sufficient action to facilitate a transition toward a democratic system in Venezuela. Reports indicate that no elections have been held in the country since Maduro was taken into custody during a U.S. operation last January.

Meanwhile, energy prices have risen in the United States following the country's involvement in a conflict with Iran. Concerns regarding global oil supplies have also emerged, fueled by Iran’s closure of the Strait of Hormuz. The report states that approximately 20 percent of the world's total oil supply is transported through this strait.

Trump has claimed that the oil deal with Venezuela will soon lead to a sharp drop in fuel prices in the United States. However, debate continues regarding the actual impact of the agreement and the political future of Venezuela.

Source: The Guardian