In a surprising twist, former President Donald Trump floated the idea of Venezuela becoming the 51st state of the United States following their impressive victory over Italy in the World Baseball Classic semifinals. This win set the stage for an exciting final showdown against Team USA in Miami.

The matchup, occurring on a Tuesday, comes just over two months after Trump’s bold operation on January 3, which involved capturing Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife from their fortified residence in Caracas. This daring move has since stirred considerable political debate.

As the Venezuelan team secured a 4-2 victory against Italy, advancing to face the USA, Trump took to his social media platform, Truth Social, to share his thoughts. His post hinted at an unexpected political development, suggesting the possibility of Venezuela joining the United States as a new state.

“Wow! Venezuela defeated Italy tonight, 4-2, in the WBC (Baseball!) Semifinal,” Trump exclaimed late Monday night. “They are looking really great.”

He continued, expressing intrigue over Venezuela’s recent successes: “Good things are happening to Venezuela lately! I wonder what this magic is all about? STATEHOOD, #51, ANYONE? President DONALD J. TRUMP.”

While Trump has previously mentioned Canada in discussions about expanding the United States, this marks the first instance where he has publicly suggested a similar proposition for Venezuela, especially in the wake of Maduro’s removal. This statement has added a new layer to the ongoing discourse about Venezuela’s future and its relationship with the United States.

Donald Trump said Venezuela could be USA’s 51st state after their World Baseball Classic win

The Venezuela team will face USA in the final on Tuesday night in a huge game in Miami

Trump was quick to congratulate the Venezuelans after they fought back to defeat Italy

He is currently being kept in the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn, New York, where other residents include R Kelly and Luigi Mangione.

Trump, meanwhile, is a big baseball fan and has made a continuous point of attending major sporting events during his second term as President. 

He made history as the first sitting President to attend a Super Bowl in 2025, while other notable appearances have come at the men’s US Open tennis final and last September’s Ryder Cup in New York.

He also visited the New York Yankees last September on the anniversary of 9/11 and met with the team before they faced the Detroit Tigers that day in the Bronx. 

The current USA team is led by Yankees star Aaron Judge, who Trump was thrilled to meet in the locker room that day at Yankee Stadium. Earlier this week, Judge said that playing in the WBC tournament and representing USA is bigger than the World Series.

Baseball fans were even calling on social media for Trump to not only attend but to throw the first pitch before USA face Venezuela in a game set to be played in a raucous atmosphere at loanDepot Park on Tuesday.

No city in the United States has a bigger Venezuelan population than Miami and it is the first time the country has ever made it to the final. 

The United States, meanwhile, has only won the competition once before, in 2017, and a White House invitation from Trump would surely be in the offing if they beat Venezuela. 

The game is just over two months on from the capture of Venezuela president Nicolas Maduro

Trump pictured meeting with USA and New York Yankees star Aaron Judge last September

But judging by the tone of Trump’s Truth Social post late on Monday, it sounds like he’ll claim credit if there is an upset at USA’s expense. 

In the immediate aftermath of the win over Italy, the emotional Venezuelan players sent a message to their fans back home.

‘I just want to make my people proud and that’s what I did today,’ Ronald Acuna Jr of the Atlanta Braves told ESPN. ‘USA have a really good team, we have a really good team too. Let’s see what happens.’

Maikel Garcia of the Kansas City Royals added: ‘We have to go out there and compete every single night. The fans will get mad if we lost (to Italy).’

The acting President of Venezuela, Delcy Rodriguez, also sent the team of a message of congratulations, saying: ‘Go Venezuela! Our National Team continues making history by defeating Italy and reaching the grand final of the World Baseball Classic. 

‘Thank you for filling the entire country with joy and pride. Tomorrow we’ll see you in a sports showdown with the U.S. Go for it, guys!’

Perhaps one added reason for optimism for the Venezuela team is that two key US pitchers in David Bednar and Mason Miller could miss the game as they manage their pitch cout ahead of the start of the MLB season next week.