President Trump clearly likes the idea of having 51 states in the Union. Having suggested making Canada and Greenland states as well as taking over Panama and Cuba, Trump recently proposed statehood for Venezuela.
Well, it’s not exactly a proposal, but the president did double down with a further social media post after Venezuela’s Tuesday win.
Fox News said the comments were made “in jest.”
Is it a laughing matter?
The idea of Canada’s becoming a state of the Union was presented as a joke, and Canada’s intergovernmental affairs minister responded to the comments as a joke, saying, “The joke is over.”
The other places Trump has proposed taking over, including not only Greenland but also Panama, Gaza, and Cuba, were never described as states. The comments could have referred to future U.S. territories, for example. “I do believe I’ll be … having the honor of taking Cuba,” Trump told reporters. “Whether I free it, take it – think I could do anything I want with it, you want to know the truth.” This is not an offer of statehood.
In reality, it is illegal under international law for one country to take over another nation or any part of another country. This has been true since the 1940s under the United Nations Charter. So we have to assume that these comments from President Trump are in fact jokes.
For Puerto Rico, the jokes are not very funny. For more than a century, Puerto Rico has been calling for, working toward, and demanding statehood. While Congress has never rejected Puerto Rico statehood and many U.S. presidents have spoken up for it, Puerto Rico is still not a state. Jokes about making other countries into states are bound to be a bit painful.
A 51st state for America’s 250th birthday
2026 is the 250th birthday of the United States. This would be the ideal time to celebrate the United States by adding another state. Puerto Rico is a territory of the United States and therefore immediately eligible for statehood. Puerto Rico wants to be a state, unlike the other countries that have been mentioned in these statehood jokes. Puerto Rico is already deeply integrated into the United States and would face no difficulties in transitioning from a U.S. territory to a U.S. state.
Let’s drop the hurtful jokes and get serious about admitting Puerto Rico as the 51st state. It’s long past time. Tell your representatives that this is the right way to celebrate the 250th birthday of the United States.
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