Venezuela beat the United States 3-2 in the World Baseball Classic final, held in Miami, to win their first-ever WBC title. Right after the game ended, President Donald Trump posted a single all-caps word on social media: “STATEHOOD!!! President DJT.” This was not the first time Trump had made this suggestion about the South American country.
The final was a close and exciting game. Venezuela built a 2-0 lead going into the bottom of the eighth inning, but Bryce Harper hit a two-run home run off Andrés Machado to tie the game at 2-2. Venezuela responded quickly in the top of the ninth, when Eugenio Suárez hit an RBI double to make it 3-2. Daniel Palencia then came in and pitched a perfect ninth inning to close out the win and secure the championship for Venezuela.
Trump had already floated the statehood idea the day before, after Venezuela beat Italy 4-2 in the semifinal. Per Mediaite, he wrote: “Wow! Venezuela defeated Italy tonight, 4-2, in the WBC (Baseball!) Semifinal. They are looking really great. Good things are happening to Venezuela lately! I wonder what this magic is all about? STATEHOOD, #51, ANYONE? President DONALD J. TRUMP.”
Trump’s statehood comments come against a complicated political backdrop involving Venezuela
The statehood push comes just two and a half months after Trump ordered an invasion of Venezuela, which led to the abduction of then-President Nicolás Maduro and First Lady Celia Flores. Both were federally indicted in Manhattan on drug trafficking charges, and both have pleaded not guilty. After their abduction, Vice President Delcy Rodríguez stepped in as president.
Trump has also been pressuring Republican lawmakers to fall in line on several of his key political priorities during this period.Trump has publicly praised Rodríguez, specifically for “ensuring that the oil is coming out.” Control over Venezuela’s oil has been a key focus for Trump since the invasion. Shortly after the raid, he stated that the U.S. would “keep” Venezuela’s oil.
Reports from January 16 indicated that Trump was directing money from the sale of Venezuelan oil, valued at $500 million, into a bank account in Qatar. The full details and implications of this arrangement have not been fully explained publicly.
Trump’s repeated statehood comments, made in the context of Venezuela’s baseball wins, stand in sharp contrast to the ongoing legal proceedings against Maduro and Flores, and the broader U.S. intervention in the country. Trump has also drawn attention recently for his remarks targeting Gavin Newsom, which many observers say may have unintentionally boosted the California governor’s political profile.
It remains unclear whether Trump’s statehood remarks are a serious political proposal or simply a reaction to Venezuela’s performance in the tournament. Either way, they have drawn significant attention given the current political and military situation involving the two countries.
Published: Mar 18, 2026 01:30 pm