Speaking at a rally off the coast of Texas on Tuesday, US President Donald Trump showcased an oil tanker carrying what he claimed was 1 million barrels of oil from Venezuela, while suggesting the South American nation could eventually become the 51st American state.
The appearance comes nine months after Trump deposed Venezuela's president. His administration subsequently backed an interim government in the country, striking a deal that Trump claims will secure "billions" of barrels of oil for the United States. During his speech, Trump raised the possibility of incorporating the nation into the US, stating that Venezuela “will become a prosperous country, and who knows? Maybe some day soon it’ll become a prosperous 51st state. That’s possible.” Venezuela joins an expanding list of foreign territories Trump has discussed acquiring, alongside Greenland, Canada, and Mexico.
Positioning the Venezuelan operation as a major achievement, Trump declared to the crowd that “we’re celebrating the greatest oil victory in history” as he pointed out the vessel nearby. He asserted that the oil “is being provided to the United States at zero cost to the American taxpayer.” Moments before appearing on stage in Texas, Trump posted on his Truth Social platform: “By unleashing Energy Dominance from Alaska, all the way down to Venezuela, I have made the Western Hemisphere the Energy Capital of the World.”
The presidential display arrives just ahead of next week's midterm elections, in which tens of millions of Americans are set to vote. Trump’s aggressive foreign policy decisions, notably his controversial military conflict with Iran and widespread global tariffs, have led to record-low presidential approval ratings in public opinion polls. Domestic fuel prices spiked significantly after Trump entered the war with Iran in February, following Iran's closure of the Strait of Hormuz—a crucial maritime corridor that handles 20% of global oil shipments—adding heavy financial pressure to the cost of living for American households.
Addressing those economic concerns on social media, Trump promised on Tuesday that US gas prices "will soon come plummeting down" as a result of the newly secured Venezuelan petroleum supplies.
