President Donald Trump doubled down on his comment that he's "seriously considering" making Venezuela the 51st U.S. state, posting a map of the oil-rich country with an American flag.
In a Truth Social post on Tuesday, May 12, as Trump was en route to China for a high-stakes summit with President Xi Jinping, the president posted a map of Venezuela with an inset American flag and the caption “51st State.” The White House also shared a screenshot of Trump's post on X.
Trump’s post came roughly 24 hours after he told Fox News correspondent John Roberts on Monday, May 11, that he was now “seriously considering a move to make Venezuela the 51st state.”
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But Venezuela's acting President Delcy Rodríguez told reporters on Monday that her country had no plans of being annexed by the United States, according to the Associated Press.
“We will continue to defend our integrity, our sovereignty, our independence, our history,” Rodríguez said at the International Court of Justice in The Hague, Netherlands, adding that Venezuela is “not a colony, but a free country."
Why would Trump want Venezuela to be the 51st state?
The saga between Trump and Venezuela intensified following the United States’ military operation in February, which led to the arrest of former Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores. Since then, Trump has signaled his intention to at least temporarily oversee the South American country along with its oil infrastructure.
"We’re going to run the country until such time as we can do a safe, proper and judicious transition," Trump said back in January. "We want peace, liberty and justice for the great people of Venezuela."
In the months following the operation, Trump has also relied on Rodríguez, Maduro’s 56-year-old former vice president, to ensure stability in Venezuela as he prioritizes U.S. companies’ access to the OPEC nations' oil reserves.
OPEC, or the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries, is a group of 12 oil producers, mainly in Africa and the Middle East.
In a statement to USA TODAY on Monday, 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."
Can Trump make Venezuela the 51st US state?
According to the U.S. Constitution, Trump cannot legally declare Venezuela the 51st state without congressional approval or Venezuela’s consent.
"New States may be admitted by the Congress into this Union; but no new State shall be formed or erected within the Jurisdiction of any other State; nor any State be formed by the Junction of two or more States, or Parts of States, without the Consent of the Legislatures of the States concerned as well as of the Congress," Article IV reads.
USA TODAY’s Michael Collins, Francesca Chambers, Kinsey Crowley and Reuters contributed to this report.
Fernando Cervantes Jr. is a trending news reporter for USA TODAY. Reach him at fernando.cervantes@usatodayco.com and follow him on X @fern_cerv_.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Trump doubles down on Venezuela being the '51st State' in post
