Venezuelan VP Accuses U.S. of Seeking to Turn Country Into Its '51st State'

The vice president of Venezuela's regime, Delcy Rodríguez, said that the United States is attempting to turn the country into its "51st state" amid heightened tensions over the growing U.S. military presence in the Caribbean.

Speaking at the National History Prize ceremony in Caracas, Rodriguez said:

"We will continue being an independent republic. We will never be the state of any other country, never, and our people will never obey the orders of a handful of stateless people, criminals, and a bandit who promise to be the 51st state"

Rodríguez added that Venezuelans have endured what she described as more than two months of "incessant psychological warfare," but insisted that citizens continue to work daily. She then argued that the population is "forging the present to guarantee the future" and would not give up gains accumulated "after decades of struggle."

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Tensions between Caracas and Washington have risen since August, when the White House ordered an air and naval deployment to the Caribbean, including the U.S. military's largest aircraft carrier, in what it calls a counter-narcotics mission. However, other officials, including Donald Trump, have linked the operation with the end of the regime, saying Maduro's days are numbered.

Venezuelan officials view the operation as a threat and an effort to force a change in government. President Nicolás Maduro said this week that a military attack on Venezuela would mark "the political end" of President Donald Trump, though he said he was willing to speak with him "face to face."

Rodríguez's comments follow a series of recent statements in which she has framed the U.S. deployment as part of a broader confrontation. On November 13, she said the United States had "decided to declare war, not on Venezuela, but on the entire planet," urging supporters to prepare for both "non-armed" and, if necessary, "armed struggle."

She accused domestic opponents of attempting to hand over Venezuela's natural resources and pointed to new "integral defense commands" ordered by Maduro to respond to increased U.S. activity.

In early October, Rodríguez claimed the United States seeks to "take over" global oil and gas reserves in order to preserve its dominance. Speaking at a gas forum in Russia, she said Washington targets energy-producing nations such as Venezuela, Russia and Iran "to sustain its hegemonic control."

Rodríguez has also rejected U.S. allegations that Venezuela plays a central role in drug trafficking, calling the military buildup "a threat to a peaceful nation."

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