President Trump suggested Venezuela could become America’s 51st state after their stunning World Baseball Classic semifinal win over Italy on Monday setup a blockbuster final in Miami against Team USA.
Tuesday’s final falls just over two months on from Trump’s daring January 3 raid to capture Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro and his wife from their heavily-secured compound in the nation’s capital of Caracas.
Just minutes after the Venezuela team fought back to beat Italy 4-2 and advance into Tuesday’s hugely anticipated game vs. USA, Trump took to Truth Social with a message about making Venezuela a US state.
‘Wow! Venezuela defeated Italy tonight, 4-2, in the WBC (Baseball!) Semifinal,’ he wrote late Monday night. ‘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 has previously underlined his wish for Canada to become the 51st state but it is the first time he has suggested a move for Venezuela in the aftermath of removing Maduro by force.
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.
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.
