Trump Floats Venezuela as a ‘51st State’ at Texas Rally
Donald Trump suggested on Tuesday that Venezuela might one day become the 51st US state, showing off a tanker he said held “one million barrels of oil” under a deal with the country’s US-backed interim government. “We’re celebrating the greatest oil victory in history,” he told a rally in Corpus Christi, with the midterm elections a week away.
The US attacked Venezuela in January and seized Nicolás Maduro, who now faces criminal charges in New York; no elections have been held since. Critics say Washington has pushed oil before any return to democracy. The domestic purpose is plain. Petrol prices surged when the Iran war began, the President’s approval ratings are at record lows, and he claims fuel prices “will soon come plummeting down”. Venezuela joins Greenland, Canada and Mexico on the list of places he has talked of acquiring. The Federal Reserve announces its decision at 18:00 GMT today. A hold is expected, but futures price a roughly 84% chance of a December rate rise, because oil keeps inflation high.