May 13, 2026 | 10:24 am
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - President of the United States (US), Donald Trump, on Tuesday, May 12, 2026, posted a map graphic on his platform Truth Social. The provocative graphic depicted Venezuela with the American flag inside it and labeled it as the "51st State".The provocative post, as reported by CNA, was published while Trump was on a trip to China.The post emerged a day after Venezuela's interim president, Delcy Rodriguez, asserted that her country had "never" considered becoming the 51st state. Rodriguez made this statement even as US forces kidnapped the ousted leader, Nicolas Maduro, in January.Rodriguez spoke at the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague on the final day of a dispute resolution session between her country and its neighboring nation, Guyana, over the mineral and oil-rich Essequibo region."We will continue to defend our integrity, our sovereignty, our independence, our history," Rodrguez declared, as quoted by CNN. She took over power in January after the kidnapping of Maduro. 'Venezuela is not a colony, but an independent country,' she affirmed.Prior to this, Trump had told Fox News on Monday that he was considering making the South American country a new US state, after months of boasting that he controlled the oil-rich nation.The exact context of Trump's remarks remains unclear. The White House did not immediately respond to requests for comments on this matter.Trump had previously made similar comments about Canada.White House spokesperson Anna Kelly later declined to comment on Trump's plans in an interview with Fox News. Kelly stated that Trump was 'well-known for never accepting the status quo.' She then praised Rodriguez for 'working very well with' the US.Rodriguez has been overseeing the thawing of relations with the United States since taking over the country. She has pushed through reforms that reopened Venezuela's mining and oil sectors to foreign companies - especially those from the US.Venezuela's opposition has demanded general elections, while Rodriguez - when asked on May 1 about the prospect of new elections - said she "didn't know" and that it would happen "sometime".Read: Trump Posts Himself as Venezuela's Acting President on Truth SocialClick here to get the latest news updates from Tempo on Google News
