Trump: Venezuela has nearly $40 trillion in oil and I’m seriously considering making it the 51st state
US President Donald Trump said on Monday that he is seriously considering making Venezuela the 51st state.
In a phone interview with Fox News, Trump added: “Venezuela loves Trump!”
Trump pointed out that Venezuela has $40 trillion worth of oil, stressing that the country’s resources are of great importance to the United States.
On January 3, the US military launched an attack on Venezuela that resulted in deaths and the capture of President Nicolas Maduro and his wife, who were taken to the United States.
Trump later announced that his country would take over the administration of Venezuela during a transitional period and would send its companies to invest in the oil sector, without specifying a timetable.
The two countries agreed in early March to restore diplomatic relations, following talks between Washington and the government of Venezuelan interim President Delcy Rodriguez.
Venezuelan acting president Delcy Rodriguez asserted on Monday from The Hague that Venezuela has never sought to become the 51st US state, while US President Donald Trump insists that the country is under his control and has hinted more than once at the possibility of it becoming a US state.
In response to a question on the matter, Rodriguez said, “This is absolutely out of the question, because if there is anything that distinguishes us Venezuelans, it’s that we love our path to independence, and we love the heroes and heroines of our independence”.
Rodriguez succeeded President Nicolas Maduro, who was captured by US special forces during a military operation on January 3.
Rodriguez noted that her government is working under a diplomatic agenda of cooperation with the United States, after diplomatic relations that Maduro severed with Washington seven years ago were reactivated in March.
Rodriguez’s remarks came from The Hague, where he attended a hearing before the International Court of Justice regarding a dispute over the oil-rich Essequibo region, which is administered by Guyana and claimed by Caracas.
