Story perspectives

Trump Mulls Venezuela Statehood, Captures Maduro, Targets Greenland.

5/11/2026

Center

Trump Mulls Statehood

President Donald Trump told Fox News correspondent John Roberts he is weighing admitting Venezuela as the United States’ 51st state.
U.S. captured Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro on Jan 3, 2026, and placed him in Brooklyn’s Metropolitan Detention Centre on narco-terrorism charges.
Trump floated Venezuela statehood on Truth Social after 2026 World Baseball Classic win over Italy.
United States said it will acquire Greenland “one way or another” and warned of tariffs.

Left

Trump Captures Maduro

Hundreds of Caracas protesters rallied, demanding a democratic transition and condemning U.S. control after the January capture of President Nicolás Maduro.
U.S. President Donald Trump ordered January strikes on Venezuela, capturing President Nicolás Maduro and Cilia Flores at Fort Tiuna, Caracas.
Over 40 Latin American human-rights groups demanded accountability and warned U.S. action threatens international order.
President Delcy Rodríguez has not set an election date while U.S. Marines remain at Caracas embassy.

History

Historical Context

U.S. expansion into the Caribbean began with the 1898 Spanish-American War, when American forces seized Puerto Rico—3,300 troops landed at Guánica and the Treaty of Paris ceded the 3,500-sq-mi island for $20 million. The island’s subsequent unincorporated status and recurring plebiscites illustrate enduring disputes over sovereignty, a backdrop for any modern proposal to annex another Caribbean nation.

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Trump Mulls Statehood

President Donald Trump told Fox News correspondent John Roberts he is weighing admitting Venezuela as the United States’ 51st state.
U.S. captured Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro on Jan 3, 2026, and placed him in Brooklyn’s Metropolitan Detention Centre on narco-terrorism charges.
Trump floated Venezuela statehood on Truth Social after 2026 World Baseball Classic win over Italy.
United States said it will acquire Greenland “one way or another” and warned of tariffs.

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