Trump Posts Latest Graphic Map, Labels Venezuela as the 51st State

According to AFP, on Wednesday (13/5/2026), the provocative post was published by Trump while en route to China for an important summit. The posting also appeared a day after Venezuela’s interim President Delcy Rodriguez stated that her country “never” considered becoming the 51st state, even after US forces captured the ousted leader Nicolas Maduro in January. Previously, Trump told US media outlet Fox News that he was considering turning the South American country into a new state, after months of boasting that he controlled the oil-rich nation. Rodriguez, on the other hand, has overseen the thawing of relations with the United States since taking power in the country, by approving reforms that reopen Venezuela’s mining and oil sectors to foreign companies – particularly from the US. Venezuela’s opposition has demanded general elections. Meanwhile, when asked on 1 May about the prospects of new elections, Rodriguez said she “did not know” and that they would happen “sometime in the future.”