Donald Trump raised eyebrows and drew ridicule with a post suggesting Venezuela could become the 51st US state.
After Venezuela defeated Italy 4–2 in the World Baseball Classic semifinal on Monday, March 16, to face USA in the finals Trump congratulated them but with a wild suggestion.
The president wrote on his Truth Social platform, “Wow! Venezuela defeated Italy tonight, 4-2, in the WBC (Baseball!) Semifinal. They are looking really great. Good things are happening to Venezuela lately! I wonder what this magic is all about? STATEHOOD, #51, ANYONE?”
Trump has previously floated similar ideas about somehow making Greenland and Canada part of the United States, Huffpost reported.
A US military operation in January saw Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro seized from his home and taken to the United States, where he remains in custody in New York facing cocaine-trafficking conspiracy charges.
Trump, meanwhile, is a big baseball fan and has made a continuous point of attending major sporting events during his second term as President.
He made history as the first sitting President to attend a Super Bowl in 2025, while other notable appearances have come at the men's US Open tennis final and last September's Ryder Cup in New York.
Venezuela is set to face the United States in the World Baseball Classic final in Miami on Tuesday, March 17.
