Donald Trump celebrated this Tuesday at the port of Corpus Christi, Texas, the arrival of a ship carrying one million barrels of Venezuelan crude oil and described the U.S. military operation in Venezuela as "the greatest oil victory in history", during a campaign rally for the midterm legislative elections.
Pointing to the ship anchored in the harbor, Trump stated that Venezuelan oil reaches the United States "at no cost to the American taxpayer," and he used a striking phrase to justify access to the crude: "To the victor belong the spoils."
"Thanks to our great victory in the recent war with Venezuela, the oil... Look at that ship. Isn't it beautiful?" Trump said in front of his supporters, referring directly to the operation that culminated with the capture of Nicolás Maduro on January 3, 2026.
The head of state also seized the occasion to project an image of future prosperity for Venezuela, assuring that "billions and billions of dollars are currently being invested by the largest oil companies, many of them from Texas," and that jobs are being created in the South American country that "no one would have believed possible just a year ago."
The most striking moment of the speech came when Trump joked about the possibility of an annexation: "Who knows, maybe someday soon it will become a prosperous state 51. It's possible. Let's make it state 51 and, instead of a president, we will hold elections to choose a governor."
The joke is not new. Trump first proposed the idea of "state 51" in March 2026, following Venezuela's victory in the World Baseball Classic.
She reiterated it in May, when she said that she was seriously considering making Venezuela the 51st state citing oil reserves valued at 40 trillion dollars, and in August she shared again amap of Venezuela covered by the American flag with the label "State 51".
The acting Venezuelan president, Delcy Rodríguez, publicly rejected the possibility of annexation in May 2026.
The shipment showcased by Trump is linked to the agreement announced on August 29, 2026, between Washington and North American Blue Energy Partners (NABEP), a company led by Venezuelan businessman Alejandro Betancourt.
Under that agreement, the United States acquires a 35% stake in the parent company and purchasing rights for 20% of its production at cost, with no profit margin, in exchange for diplomatic and military support.
The agreement includes the development of 17 oil fields over 25 years, with a projected investment exceeding 100 billion dollars and access to more than 65 billion barrels of proven reserves.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio joined Trump at the Corpus Christi event to showcase the Venezuelan oil tanker, in an event that also had a clear electoral goal: to support Republican candidate Ken Paxton against Democrat James Talarico in a closely contested race for a seat in the Texas Senate.
Trump had already showcased the Venezuelan agreement as his greatest achievement before the UN General Assembly in September, and on Tuesday he once again made it the focal point of his political narrative leading up to the elections. "Who knows, maybe one day soon it will become a prosperous 51st state," he insisted, leaving the door open to an idea that, for now, the Venezuelan government has outright dismissed.
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