Politics · United States · 1 hr ago
Trump touts Venezuelan oil deal and suggests country could become a US state
At a rally in Corpus Christi, Texas, Donald Trump promoted a US deal for Venezuelan oil and pointed to a tanker he said carried one million barrels.
He said the agreement with Venezuela’s interim government could cover billions of barrels and claimed the oil would cost US taxpayers nothing.
The deal follows a US attack in January in which US forces captured Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro, who was taken to New York to face criminal charges.
Trump also said Venezuela might one day become the 51st US state, though he did not describe any steps toward that.
Critics question the deal because the US has not pushed for a democratic transition, and Venezuela has held no elections since Maduro was detained.
Trump said the oil deal would help bring down US fuel prices, which rose after the Iran war began and Iran closed the Strait of Hormuz, a route for about one-fifth of the world’s oil supply.
Donald Trump suggested Venezuela could become the 51st US state while promoting an oil deal with the country’s interim government.
He said a tanker off the Texas coast carried one million barrels of Venezuelan oil and claimed the agreement could cover billions of barrels.
Trump said the oil was being provided to the United States at no cost to American taxpayers.
The deal has drawn criticism over the lack of progress toward a democratic transition in Venezuela.
Venezuela’s interim president, Delcy Rodríguez, previously rejected the idea of becoming a US state and said the country would not give up its sovereignty.
- Who
- US President Donald Trump and Venezuela’s interim government. Delcy Rodríguez previously rejected the statehood idea.
- What
- Trump promoted a Venezuelan oil deal and suggested the country could become a US state.
- When
- Tuesday, October 27, 2026. Rodríguez rejected a similar idea in May.
- Where
- At a rally in Corpus Christi, Texas, with a tanker off the Texas coast.
- Why
- Trump presented the deal as an energy success and said it would help bring fuel prices down.
Donald Trump
Delcy Rodríguez
Venezuela’s future status
Donald Trump
Trump said Venezuela might become a prosperous 51st US state.
Delcy Rodríguez
Rodríguez rejected the idea and said Venezuela would not give up its sovereignty.
The US attacked Venezuela and captured its president, Nicolás Maduro.
The US entered the war with Iran, and Iran closed the Strait of Hormuz.
Trump raised the idea of Venezuela becoming a US state, and interim president Delcy Rodríguez rejected it.
Trump promoted the oil deal and again suggested Venezuela could become a US state at a rally in Corpus Christi.
- Oil on tanker
- Trump claimed it carried one million barrels
- Potential deal volume
- Trump said the agreement could cover billions of barrels
- Rally location
- Corpus Christi, Texas
- Venezuelan interim president
- Delcy Rodríguez
- Maduro’s capture
- January 2026
3 sources
What people are saying
Venezuela “will become a prosperous country, and who knows? Maybe some day soon it’ll become a prosperous 51st state,
We’re celebrating the greatest oil victory in history,
The oil provided is being provided to the United States at zero cost to the American taxpayer.