US President Donald Trump said he is “seriously considering” making Venezuela the 51st state in the United States.According to Fox News correspondent John Roberts, Trump made the comments during a conversation on Monday.
The comments come months after Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro was captured in a military operation earlier this year and an interim administration led by Delcy Rodriguez took power in Caracas.Trump has repeatedly floated the idea of placing foreign territories under US control, including Greenland, Canada and Panama. However, his recent comments on Venezuela have drawn attention due to the increased US presence in the South American country following Maduro’s ouster.The United States reopened its embassy in Caracas, while direct flights between the two countries resumed last month. US officials are also in talks with energy and mining companies as Washington increases its involvement in Venezuela’s oil sector.Speaking at the White House on Monday, Trump described US operations in Venezuela as “military genius.”“Venezuela is a very happy country right now,” Trump told journalist Sharyl Atkinson in an interview broadcast last week.
“They were miserable,” he said. “Now they are happy. Things are managing well.”The president added: “The oil that is coming out is enormous, the largest in many years. The major oil companies are coming in with the largest and most beautiful rigs I have ever seen.”Trump also said that the United States plans to tap into Venezuela’s vast oil reserves.“We are in the oil business,” he said after Maduro’s arrest earlier this year, while discussing plans to sell Venezuelan oil internationally.Trump later claimed that US oil companies were preparing to invest $100 billion in rebuilding the country’s oil and gas infrastructure.Despite his statements, Trump cannot legally make Venezuela a US state without the approval of Congress and the approval of Venezuela itself.Secretary of State Marco Rubio told Congress in January that the United States was not preparing for military action in Venezuela, but Trump continued to hint at broader ambitions for the country.In March, after Venezuela beat Italy in the World Baseball Classic, Trump posted online: “Country, #51, anyone?”Rodriguez has not announced a clear timetable for holding democratic elections in Venezuela, leading to criticism that Washington is more focused on energy and economic interests than restoring democracy.“We are in a stabilization phase,” Jarrod Agen, Trump’s senior energy adviser, recently told Politico.“It’s really about the flow of energy deals and getting the money needed for day-to-day activities in Venezuela,” he added.
