US President Donald Trump has said he is “seriously considering” making Venezuela the 51st state of the United States.According to Fox News correspondent John Roberts, Trump made the remarks during a conversation on Monday. The comments come months after Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro was captured in a military operation earlier this year and an interim administration led by Delcy Rodríguez took power in Caracas.Trump has repeatedly floated the idea of bringing foreign territories under US control, including Greenland, Canada and Panama. However, his latest remarks about Venezuela have drawn attention because of the growing American presence in the South American country following Maduro’s removal.US has reopened its embassy in Caracas, while direct flights between the two countries resumed last month. US officials have also been holding talks with energy and mining companies as Washington increases its involvement in Venezuela’s oil sector.Speaking at the White House on Monday, Trump described US operations in Venezuela as “military genius.”“Venezuela is a very happy country right now,” Trump told journalist Sharyl Attkisson in an interview aired last week.“They were miserable. Now they’re happy. It’s being well run,” he said.The POTUS added: “The oil that’s coming out is enormous, the biggest in many years. And the big oil companies are going in with the biggest, most beautiful rigs you’ve ever seen.”Trump also said US plans to benefit from Venezuela’s vast oil reserves.“We’re in the oil business,” he said after Maduro’s capture earlier this year, while discussing plans to sell Venezuelan oil internationally.Trump later claimed American oil firms were preparing to invest $100 billion into rebuilding the country’s oil and gas infrastructure.Despite his comments, Trump cannot legally make Venezuela a US state without approval from Congress and the consent of Venezuela itself.Secretary of state Marco Rubio told Congress in January that the US was not preparing for military action in Venezuela, but Trump has continued to hint at broader ambitions for the country.In March, after Venezuela defeated Italy in the World Baseball Classic, Trump posted online: “STATEHOOD, #51, ANYONE?”Rodríguez has not announced a clear timeline for democratic elections in Venezuela, leading to criticism that Washington is focusing more on energy and economic interests than restoring democracy.“We’re in the stability phase,” Trump’s top energy adviser Jarrod Agen told Politico recently.He added: “And that’s really about getting the energy deals flowing and getting funds in there for the everyday activities of Venezuela.”
