Trump posts graphic of Venezuela as 51st US state

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US President Donald Trump on Tuesday posted a map graphic on his Truth Social platform depicting Venezuela with an inset American flag and the label “51st State.”

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The provocative post — published while Trump was en route to China for a high-stakes summit — comes a day after Venezuela’s interim president, Delcy Rodriguez, said her country had “never” considered becoming the 51st state, even after US forces captured deposed leader Nicolas Maduro in January.

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Earlier on Monday, Trump told Fox News that he was considering making the South American country a new state, after months of boasting that he controlled the oil-rich nation.

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Rodriguez, for her part, has overseen a thawing of relations with the United States since taking over the country, passing reforms that reopened Venezuela’s mining and oil sectors to foreign companies — especially from the US.

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The Venezuelan opposition has demanded elections, while Rodriguez — when asked on May 1 about the prospects of a new vote — said she “didn’t know” and that it would happen “sometime.”

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