Over five months after the US captured former Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, President Donald Trump has revived talk of annexing the oil-rich South American nation.
In a Monday, May 11 interview with Fox News correspondent John Roberts, Trump said he’s “seriously considering a move to make Venezuela the 51st state.” Source.
Venezuela’s acting President Delcy Rodríguez swiftly rejected the proposal. Speaking to reporters in the Netherlands, she declared, “We will continue to defend our integrity, our sovereignty, our independence, our history,” adding that Venezuela is “not a colony, but a free country.” AP report. She made the remarks at the International Court of Justice in The Hague.
The comments follow a US military operation that arrested Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores. Trump has since signaled plans to temporarily administer Venezuela and its vital oil infrastructure.
In recent months, Trump has leaned on Rodríguez—Maduro’s 56-year-old former vice president—to maintain stability, prioritizing US firms’ access to the OPEC member’s reserves. Related coverage.
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, White House assistant press secretary Olivia Whales said, “As the President has 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.”
Venezuela isn’t the only country Trump has referenced as another potential state during the last 15 months of his second term.
Trump has signaled his desire to purchase the island nation of Greenland, citing national security as a reason for acquiring it. The island’s location could also be strategic for a U.S. ballistic missile warning system.