Trump floats idea of Venezuela becoming '51st state'

WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump on Tuesday suggested that Venezuela could become the 51st US state, citing growing oil cooperation between the two countries, Anadolu Ajansi reported.

"I want to thank Venezuela, where our relationship has become very, very good, a great one," Trump told supporters at a midterm election rally in Corpus Christi, Texas.

Trump announced the arrival of the first one million barrels of free Venezuelan oil under an agreement between the two countries.

"This historic win gives us control over a massive part of the world's oil supply," he said.

"It will be refined here in Texas – including right here in Corpus Christi," he added.

Trump said investments were creating jobs in Venezuela on a scale he claimed would have been unimaginable a year earlier.

"We're bringing out a lot of oil for ourselves, a lot. It will become a prosperous country, and who knows? Maybe someday soon it will become a prosperous 51st state. That's possible," he said.

The US president then repeated the suggestion, proposing that Venezuela could have a governor instead of a president.

"Let's make it. Let's make it the 51st state. And instead of a president, we'll have an election for a governor. How about that? You know, they have a lot of oil," Trump said.