Trump floats making Venezuela the 51st U.S. state as he defends Iran war and promises lower fuel prices
President Donald Trump suggested Tuesday that Venezuela could eventually become the 51st U.S. state, while using a campaign rally in Corpus Christi, Texas, to defend the war with Iran and promote Venezuelan oil as part of his effort to bring down fuel prices.
“Maybe someday soon it will become a prosperous 51st state,” Trump said. “Let’s make it the 51st state, and instead of a president, we’ll have an election for governor.”
Trump pointed to a tanker carrying one million barrels of Venezuelan crude near the Port of Corpus Christi, saying U.S. involvement had brought investment and jobs to Venezuela.
Turning to Iran, Trump again argued that America “did not start” the war, saying Tehran had been waging war against the United States since 1979. The current conflict began on Feb. 28 with U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran, followed by Iranian retaliation.
Trump said he had expected oil prices to rise substantially when he ordered the attacks but would make the same decision again. “Absolutely. It’s one of the greatest things I’ve ever done,” he said, describing higher energy costs as “short-term pain for long-term gain” and predicting gasoline prices would soon fall sharply.
He also claimed U.S. forces had destroyed 288 Iranian fighter jets and 159 naval vessels. Those figures have not been independently verified and differ from numbers Trump himself has given in recent days: he cited 229 Iranian fighters on Oct. 19 and 259 fighters and ships on Oct. 24.
Trump also revived his criticism of renewable energy, claiming Germany and other countries had nearly gone bankrupt pursuing green policies. Germany has faced high energy costs and industrial pressures, but renewables supplied about 57% of its electricity consumption in the first half of 2026 and the country has not abandoned its energy transition.
The president also returned to Brazil’s election, accusing Democrats of election cheating and saying Brazil was “doing a pretty good job also,” while again offering no evidence that Lula’s victory was fraudulent.