By AFP
May 12, 2026
U.S. President Donald Trump on Tuesday posted a map graphic on his Truth Social platform depicting Venezuela with an inset American flag and the label “51st State.”
The provocative post — published while Trump was en route to China for a high-stakes summit — comes a day after Venezuela’s interim president, Delcy Rodriguez, said her country had “never” considered becoming the 51st state, even after U.S. forces captured deposed leader Nicolas Maduro in January.
Earlier on Monday, Trump told Fox News that he was considering making the South American country a new state, after months of boasting that he controlled the oil-rich nation.
The Venezuelan opposition has demanded elections, while Rodriguez — when asked on May 1 about the prospects of a new vote — said she “didn’t know” and that it would happen “sometime.”
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