Trump’s new map identifies Venezuela as 51st state and he probably won't stop there
Topics: Donald Trump, US News
Kiesha Dosanjh
Featured Image Credit: Alex Wong/Getty Images
Topics: Donald Trump, US News
There are currently 50 states in the United States of America, but Donald Trump is on a mission to change that, it seems.
A few days ago, Fox News anchor said Trump was ‘seriously considering’ adding Venezuela to the list.
Although acting President Delcy Rodríguez quickly shut down the idea, in true Trump style, he still hasn’t given up.
It’s been over six decades since a new State was added to the map. The last was Hawaii, which became the 50th State of America on August 21, 1959.
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1959 was a busy year - as Alaska became the 49th State just months prior. But will Venezuela be added to the list in 2026? Trump seems to hope so.
In a new social media post, posted to both Truth Social and The White House X’s account, a map with Venezuela filled in with the US flag was posted.
The post, which was uploaded around 12 hours after the Fox News anchor’s revelation seems to have been posted while Trump was on his way to Beijing.
Trump didn’t need much context however, as it was simply labelled ‘51st State’.
Reacting to the news earlier this week, President Delcy Rodríguez told reporters in the Netherlands: “We will continue to defend our integrity, our sovereignty, our independence, our history,” The Associated Press reported.
She later added that Venezuela was a ‘free country’ and was ‘not a colony’.
In January, the US launched airstrikes on Venezuela, which led to the capture of President Nicolás Maduro.
After, Trump said: "We’re going to run the country until such time as we can do a safe, proper and judicious transition," adding that he wants 'peace, liberty and justice' for the people of Venezuela.
However, the POTUS may not be stopping there.
It’s not the first time he’s ‘made promises’ about a 51st state, as he reportedly raised the matter of making Canada the 51st State with Prime Minister Mark Carney earlier this year.
"The president brings this up all the time. He brought it up yesterday. He brought it up before," Carney said during a press conference in March, the BBC reported.
However, he was once again shut down, with Carney adding: "To be clear, as I've said to anyone who's raised this issue in private or in public, including the president, it will never happen.”
He's also made his desire to acquire Greenland too.
We all know that Trump likes to do things spontaneously, but could he legally add the 51st State to the country?
Well, no, not on his own watch. It would need both Congress, and Venezuela's own consent. However, from President Delcy Rodríguez’s response, it doesn’t look like it’ll be happening anytime soon…