Donald Trump published this Saturday on his social network Truth Social a map of Venezuela covered with the American flag and the caption "State 51," in a new rhetorical provocation regarding the possible annexation of the Caribbean country, according to the EFE agency.
This is not the first time the president has resorted to this image: on May 13, he had already posted an identical illustration on the same platform, a day after declaring in a telephone interview with Fox News that he was "seriously considering" making Venezuela the 51st state.
The post this Saturday, shared at 2:11 PM, received 572 retruths and over 2,210 "likes" on Truth Social.
The pattern goes back further. Last March, Trump had already made a joking reference to the "51st state" following Venezuela's victory in the World Baseball Classic, which makes these statements part of an expansionist rhetoric that the president also applies to Canada and Greenland.
The backdrop of this entire dynamic is the capture of Nicolás Maduro by U.S. military forces on January 3, 2026, after which Delcy Rodríguez assumed the role of acting president of Venezuela.
Since then, Washington has exercised oversight over the Venezuelan government with the stated aim of achieving a democratic transition, although without setting a specific electoral calendar.
Only on Friday, Trump stated that Venezuela is still not "prepared" to hold elections, although he acknowledged that there have been "advancements."
In that same statement, the president praised the acting president: "Delcy has been doing a fantastic job," he said, emphasizing the benefits that the Venezuelan oil market generates for both American companies and the people of the country.
This Saturday's publication coincides with the start of formal talks between the chavista National Assembly and a sector of the Venezuelan opposition, a dialogue driven and endorsed by Washington.
By the chavismo, the process is led by Jorge Rodríguez, president of the Parliament, while Dinorah Figuera represents the participating opposition.
The most representative opposition, led by María Corina Machado and Edmundo González Urrutia, is not participating directly in these negotiations.
Trump had already seriously considered making Venezuela the 51st state last May, and his most recent statements about the transition process suggest that Washington continues to have a decisive influence over the political future of the country, although this has not yet translated into concrete electoral commitments.
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