Trump doubles down on Venezuela being the '51st State' in post
Source: USA Today
May 13, 2026, 4:12 p.m. ET
President Donald Trump doubled down on his comment that he's "seriously considering" making Venezuela the 51st U.S. state, posting a map of the oil-rich country with an American flag.
In a Truth Social post on Tuesday, May 12, as Trump was en route to China for a high-stakes summit with President Xi Jinping, the president posted a map of Venezuela with an inset American flag and the caption 51st State. The White House also shared a screenshot of Trump's post on X.
Trumps post came roughly 24 hours after he told Fox News correspondent John Roberts on Monday, May 11, that he was now seriously considering a move to make Venezuela the 51st state.
But Venezuela's acting President Delcy Rodríguez told reporters on Monday that her country had no plans of being annexed by the United States, according to the Associated Press. We will continue to defend our integrity, our sovereignty, our independence, our history, Rodríguez said at the International Court of Justice in The Hague, Netherlands, adding that Venezuela is not a colony, but a free country."
Read more: https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2026/05/13/trump-venezuela-51st-us-state/90064907007/
So at latest count, would Canada be "the 52nd state" and Greenland "the 53rd state", and Cuba"the 54th state"? ::goofy:
wcmagumba
(6,602 posts)Ray Bruns
(6,698 posts)Bayard
(30,216 posts)Per a quick AI query:
No, a U.S. president cannot declare another country to be a U.S. state. The U.S. Constitution grants the exclusive power to admit new states into the Union to Congress, not the president.Making another country a U.S. state involves a lengthy legislative and diplomatic process, rather than a unilateral presidential declaration.The Statehood Process Under the Admissions Clause (Article IV, Section 3) of the U.S. Constitution, Congress holds the sole authority to admit new states. The process requires:Congressional Approval: Both the House of Representatives and the Senate must pass legislation admitting the new state, usually referred to as an "enabling act". The president must then sign this bill into law. International Agreement: To absorb an entirely foreign sovereign country, the two nations would likely have to negotiate formal treaties. The president has the power to negotiate or sign a treaty, but it requires a two-thirds ratification vote in the U.S. Senate.Internal Integration: The foreign country or territory would need to hold votes to demonstrate that the majority of its citizens desire statehood, adopt a state constitution that aligns with the U.S. Constitution, and agree to transition to U.S. laws, currency, and federal taxes
Not going to happen.
JoseBalow
(9,712 posts)LudwigPastorius
(14,975 posts)That would just be cA-RAY-ZEEeeeee.
GiqueCee
(4,686 posts)... the citizens of Venezuela might like to have say in whether or not you can hijack their entire country on one of your psychotic whims.
Note to Republicans: You assholes OWN this worthless bag of excrement for the rest of eternity, and it will never be forgotten, and it SURE as hell will never be forgiven. Every one of you is just as much a traitor as he is.