President Donald Trump posted a graphic on Truth Social on Tuesday depicting Venezuela's outline filled with the American flag and labeled the 51st state, following a Fox News report that he was seriously considering such a move.
The post came one day after Fox News’s John Roberts wrote on X that he had just gotten off the phone with Trump, who told him he is seriously considering a move to make Venezuela the 51st state. Trump’s graphic appeared on May 12 and quickly drew attention amid ongoing shifts in U.S.-Venezuela relations.
The developments follow the January 3 arrest of Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, by U.S. forces in Caracas during a law enforcement operation authorized by Trump. Since Maduro’s downfall, Venezuela has been led by acting President Delcy Rodríguez, who previously served as Maduro’s vice president and oil minister.
Rodríguez has cooperated with the Trump administration on its three-phase stabilization, recovery, and transition plan. The two countries reestablished diplomatic ties in late March, and Rodríguez later thanked Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio for their willingness to pursue diplomatic, economic, and cooperative relations with Venezuela during a signing ceremony for a new Mining Law.
The new law rolled back socialist-era restrictions on the mining sector and introduced provisions to attract foreign investment. The IMF and World Bank also resumed dealings with Caracas after a seven-year rupture, according to officials involved in the process.
On May 1, direct commercial flights between Miami and Caracas were restored after a seven-year interruption. The State Department announced that flights between Miami and Caracas had been restored, tying the route to Trump and Rubio’s three-phase plan and noting that the country was in the recovery phase.
U.S. chargé d’affaires John M. Barrett said the resumption showed progress tied to Operation Absolute Resolve, the January 3 operation that led to Maduro’s arrest. The White House stated that the flights would not have resumed without that operation.
Trump has also pledged to secure the release of Venezuelan political prisoners. Speaking to reporters on May 13, he said, “We’re going to get them all out.” Foro Penal has documented 19,092 political detentions since 2014 and reported that 457 confirmed political prisoners remained in Venezuela as of last week.
According to the Breitbart report, the Truth Social post followed months of major developments in bilateral relations after Maduro’s arrest. Rodríguez has continued to work with U.S. officials on economic reforms aimed at drawing foreign investment back into the country.
Observers note that the graphic and the earlier Fox News comments mark the first public suggestion from Trump about potentially incorporating Venezuela as a state. No formal legislative steps have been announced, and details on how such a proposal would proceed remain unclear.
Officials in Caracas have not issued an immediate response to the Truth Social post. Rodríguez’s office has focused recent statements on the new mining legislation and the return of international financial institutions.
The restoration of flights and diplomatic ties has been presented by the Trump administration as evidence that Venezuela is moving through the recovery phase of the stabilization plan. Additional measures, including the release of political prisoners, are expected to follow in coming weeks.