Liberty Times reported that President Trump hinted at a Texas rally that Venezuela could become the 51st US state. The remark came about nine months after Maduro’s ouster, and no reaction from Caracas has been confirmed.
Liberty Times reported at 1:54 a.m. Taipei time on the 29th that President Trump hinted at a Texas rally that Venezuela could become the 51st US state. According to US media reports, at a rally in Lubbock on the 28th for Senate candidate Ken Paxton he said, ‘Maybe someday soon it’ll become a prosperous 51st state.’ He had earlier made a stop in the Gulf Coast city of Corpus Christi.
광고 문의 · 300×250An oil deal as the backdrop
The remark came while he was promoting an arrangement for Venezuelan crude to be processed at Texas refineries. Trump pointed to a tanker he said could carry one million barrels and presented the deal as an achievement. Secretary of State and national security adviser Marco Rubio reportedly joined both stops briefly.
The US administration ousted former president Nicolás Maduro about nine months ago, and Washington’s influence over Venezuela has grown since. It is not the first time Trump has floated the idea. Taiwanese outlets such as Newtalk reported that in a Fox News interview on 11 May he said he was ‘seriously considering’ it, stressing the country’s vast oil resources.
Rally context and open questions
Paxton is running against Democrat James Talarico for the Senate seat. According to AdImpact, more than $563 million has been spent on advertising alone in the race, and Elon Musk has put at least $158 million into defeating Talarico. It is unclear whether the statehood remark was rally rhetoric or a policy idea.
Under the US Constitution, admitting a new state requires congressional approval, and no report describes any concrete procedure. The reaction of the Venezuelan government and public was not covered in the report and is unconfirmed. With the midterms six days away, whether the remark is an election message or a signal of foreign policy remains to be seen.
