President Donald Trump has floated the idea of Venezuela becoming America’s 51st state, saying “good things are happening” there.
Trump made the remarks while celebrating Venezuela’s win against Italy in the World Baseball Classic (WBC) tournament
“Wow! Venezuela defeated Italy tonight, 4-2, in the WBC (Baseball!) Semifinal. They are looking really great. Good things are happening to Venezuela lately! I wonder what this magic is all about? STATEHOOD, #51, ANYONE?,” he wrote on Truth Social.
( @realDonaldTrump – Truth Social Post )
( Donald J. Trump – Mar 16 2026, 11:14 PM ET )Wow! Venezuela defeated Italy tonight, 4-2, in the WBC (Baseball!) Semifinal. They are looking really great. Good things are happening to Venezuela lately! I wonder … pic.twitter.com/Z0WBdfFLWo
— Donald J Trump Posts TruthSocial (@TruthTrumpPost) March 17, 2026
Why It Matters
Trump’s remark came amid an ongoing U.S. role in Venezuela following the January seizure of former President Nicolás Maduro and Washington’s coordination with acting President Delcy Rodríguez, raising fresh questions about American oversight, oil policy and regional sovereignty.
The suggestion also echoes Trump’s broader interest in expanding U.S. territory – he previously said he wanted Canada to become America’s 51st state and has repeatedly pushed to acquire Greenland, straining ties with Denmark and fueling a snap election in Copenhagen.
What To Know
Trump posted his idea after Venezuela beat Italy 4-2 to reach the WBC final for the first time ever.
It will play America in the final, in Miami, a city with one of the largest Venezuelan diasporas, underscoring the symbolic weight of Tuesday’s matchup.
America’s relationship with Venezuela is currently under the spotlight, after Trump’s January military operation.
Venezuela is currently under the rule of Rodríguez, who previously served as Maduro’s vice president. Opposition leader María Corina Machado, who is currently abroad, was recently told by Trump not to return to her homeland yet, according to The New York Times.
Last week, the NYT, citing a U.S. official and another person briefed on the meeting, said that Trump and Machado met for breakfast at the White House on March 6, where they spoke for two hours.
Trump has previously said he thought Machado was a “very nice woman” but that “it would be very tough for her to be the leader” and “doesn’t have the support within or the respect within the country.”
In January, when Trump was asked in an interview with the NYT whether America would oversee Venezuela for three months, six months, a year or longer, he said: “I would say much longer.”
“We will rebuild it in a very profitable way,” he added.
What People Are Saying
Fox News host Sean Hannity previously voiced his support for Venezuela becoming America’s 51st state, saying last October: “This opposition leader in Venezuela that won the Nobel Prize, and said it really deserved to go to Donald Trump, [Machado] sounds like a pretty good leader to me for the people of Venezuela, and the end of narcoterrorism, and a better relationship with the U.S. Or, if they choose, maybe the 51st state.”
Trump previously said about his plans for America running Venezuela: “We will rebuild it in a very profitable way… We’re going to be using oil, and we’re going to be taking oil. We’re getting oil prices down, and we’re going to be giving money to Venezuela, which they desperately need.”
European Parliament member Hermann Tertsch, on X, speaking about Machado and Rodriguez: “I hope that no one is misled by transitory maneuvers and deliberate confusions. The first legitimate president of Venezuela will be, following some elections that must not be delayed much longer, this heroine of the Venezuelan people. No one else, and certainly not a criminal who betrays her band of murderers and narcos in order to survive, can hold such an honor.”
What Happens Next
Any U.S. move toward Venezuelan statehood would face constitutional, political and international hurdles requiring the consent of Congress and the people of Venezuela, and there has been no formal process announced; Trump’s post will continue to draw scrutiny alongside congressional efforts to limit additional military action.
In Europe, debate over Greenland’s status and trans-Atlantic security will remain in focus as Denmark approaches its election, with updates on any purported U.S.-Denmark “framework” deal expected to be closely watched.
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