Trump Signals Serious Interest in Making Venezuela a U.S. State

President Trump has turned his attention to territorial expansion, with recent signals suggesting he is weighing the addition of Venezuela as a new U.S. state.

The 79-year-old leader posted to Truth Social on Tuesday evening, May 12, sharing a zoomed-in map displaying an American flag overlaid across the South American nation. The message came shortly after Fox News correspondent John Roberts disclosed details of a phone conversation with the president.

"Just got off the phone with @realDonaldTrump … he told me he is seriously considering a move to make Venezuela the 51st state…" Roberts wrote on X.

Trump's latest move continues a pattern of public interest in Venezuela's status. In January, he shared a similar map on Truth Social that depicted Venezuela, Canada in its entirety, and Greenland as falling under U.S. control. That same month, he posted an edited Wikipedia page identifying himself as the country's "acting president."

More recently, Trump has broadened his vision for Venezuela, hinting at personal political ambitions there. During an April press conference, he stated that he was "polling higher than anybody has ever polled" in the country and suggested a future path forward.

"So after I'm finished with this, I can go to Venezuela. I will quickly learn Spanish. It won't take too long; I'm good at language. And I will go to Venezuela. I'm going to run for president," he remarked.

The statement marks a notable shift from Trump's previous stance on foreign languages. Earlier this year, he told world leaders from Latin American countries that he had no interest in language acquisition.

"I don't have time. I was okay with languages but I'm not gonna spend time learning your language. That much I won't do," he told the assembled group, noting he would rely on "a good interpreter" instead.

The president's Venezuela initiatives follow military action in the country last January, which included the detention of its sitting leader. Venezuelan opposition figure María Corina Machado, recipient of the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize, presented the award to Trump in January, stating that she believed he "deserves" the recognition for his Venezuela operations.