'Never Considered': Venezuela Acting President Rejects Trump's 51st US State Comment

Last Updated:May 11, 2026, 23:28 IST

Rodriguez said that such a possibility has “never” been considered and would go against the country’s deep-rooted commitment to independence.

Venezuela’s interim president Delcy Rodriguez on Monday firmly rejected US President Donald Trump’s suggestion that the country could become the “51st state" of the United States.

Speaking to reporters after attending a hearing at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in The Hague, Rodriguez said that such a possibility has “never" been considered and would go against the country’s deep-rooted commitment to independence.

“That would never have been considered, because if there is one thing we Venezuelan men and women have, it is that we love our independence process, we love our heroes and heroines of independence," she said.

Her remarks came in response to Trump’s earlier comments after the capture of deposed Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro by the US military earlier in January.

Trump has repeatedly suggested tighter American control over Venezuela and, in public statements and social media posts, even floated the idea of statehood for the oil-rich South American nation.

In a post on his Truth Social platform in March, the US president had written: “Good things are happening to Venezuela lately! I wonder what this magic is all about? STATEHOOD, #51, ANYONE?"

However, Rodriguez pushed back strongly against any such framing. Asked about relations with the United States, she said her government was pursuing a “diplomatic cooperation agenda".

Since assuming leadership after Maduro’s exit, the Venezuelan acting president has overseen a gradual thaw in relations with Washington, including reforms in the oil and mining sectors and the release of political prisoners.

(With inputs from AFP)

News world 'Never Considered': Venezuela Acting President Rejects Trump's 51st US State Comment

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