Donald Trump suggested Venezuela could become the 51st state of the United States at a campaign rally in Corpus Christi, Texas, on Tuesday, where he showed off a tanker he claimed was carrying one million barrels of oil from the country.
The appearance came nine months after US forces captured Venezuela's long-serving leader Nicolás Maduro, and as Trump touted an oil deal struck with the country's interim government, which his administration backs. Trump claimed the agreement would cover “billions” of barrels of oil, and said Venezuela “will become a prosperous country, and who knows? Maybe some day soon it'll become a prosperous 51st state.”
Venezuela is the latest on a list of countries and territories Trump has spoken of acquiring, including Greenland, Canada and Mexico.
With midterm elections a week away, Trump's approval ratings have fallen to record lows, according to opinion polls, and his foreign policy, including the war with Iran and tariffs on goods from much of the world, has challenged his popularity. On Tuesday he pointed to the Venezuela operation as a success. In a social media post he claimed US fuel prices, which surged after the start of the Iran war, “will soon come plummeting down.” He told the rally: “We're celebrating the greatest oil victory in history. The oil provided is being provided to the United States at zero cost to the American taxpayer.”
Critics have questioned the deal, complaining that the Trump administration has not pushed a transition to democracy in Venezuela, where elections have not been held since Maduro was detained and taken to New York to face criminal charges after a raid on his Caracas residence.
The urgency of the oil agreement stems from Trump's decision to enter the war with Iran in February. Gas prices have shot up nationwide after Iran closed the Strait of Hormuz, a passageway for 20% of the world's oil supplies.