US President Donald Trump on Tuesday shared a graphic depicting Venezuela as the "51st State" of the United States while travelling to China for talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping.
The image, posted on Trump's Truth Social platform, showed a map of Venezuela covered with the American flag and labelled "51st State". The White House later reposted the same image on its official X account.
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The post came a day after Trump said in an interview with Fox News that he was considering making Venezuela a new US state. His remarks followed the capture of former Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro by US forces earlier this year during a military operation in Caracas.
— The White House (@WhiteHouse) May 12, 2026
Venezuela rejects Trump's suggestion
Venezuela's interim president Delcy Rodríguez responded to the remarks by rejecting the proposal outright. She said the country had "never" considered becoming America's 51st state, per a News18 report.
Trump's latest comments added to his recent statements involving possible expansion of US territory. In recent weeks, he had also made remarks regarding Canada and Greenland.
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Rubio's tracksuit sparks online reactions
At around the same time, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio drew attention online after White House Communications Director Steven Cheung shared a photograph of him aboard Air Force One wearing a grey Nike Tech tracksuit.
Social media users quickly pointed out similarities between Rubio's outfit and the tracksuit Maduro was reportedly wearing when he was taken into US custody in January.
"Secretary Rubio rocking the Nike Tech 'Venezuela' on Air Force One!" Cheung wrote on X.
Trumps comms director just shared this photo of Sec. Rubio on Air Force One wearing the same track suit that Maduro was captured in. pic.twitter.com/DLD5YtQFHG
— Kellie Meyer (@KellieMeyerNews) May 12, 2026
Journalist Kellie Meyer also shared the image online and noted that Rubio's tracksuit resembled the one worn by Maduro during his capture.
The grey Nike Tech outfit had become a viral topic after images of Maduro in US custody circulated online earlier this year. The tracksuit later turned into a meme across several social media platforms, with online searches for the Nike Tech line reportedly increasing sharply after the incident.
