Trump floats Venezuela as 51st US state at Texas rally, as Musk money fuels Senate race

Trump's rally pitch

Donald Trump spoke to supporters on Tuesday, 27 October, at a port facility in Corpus Christi, Texas, beside a tanker that had arrived from Venezuela. He said Venezuela would become a prosperous country and then floated the idea of statehood. According to ABC, he has repeatedly shown interest in annexing territories since returning to the White House in 2025, including Canada and Greenland.

“Maybe someday soon it'll become a prosperous 51st state.”

He added that under such a scenario the country would elect a governor rather than a president, and he asked the crowd what it thought. He did not say whether he was seriously considering annexation. ABC reports that it remains unclear when and how Venezuela will hold elections to choose a president and representatives.

The tanker and the oil reserve

Trump said a tanker carrying one million barrels of Venezuelan oil had reached a US port and that the crude had been provided free, which he called a gift from the authorities in Caracas. The cargo is to be refined in Texas, including in Corpus Christi, and used to top up the strategic oil reserve. Earlier, US authorities had released more than 100 million barrels from that reserve to curb price increases after the start of a war with Iran, Polish outlets reported. The rally also referred to the US operation in which American forces seized Nicolas Maduro, who was taken to the United States and charged. Delcy Rodriguez now leads the Venezuelan government, and ABC describes the current partnership with the White House as built on American access to the country's large crude reserves.

Tanker cargo from Venezuela1

US strategic reserve release (more than)100

Tanker cargo from Venezuela

1 million barrels

US strategic reserve release (more than)

100 million barrels

Data from the article text

The Texas Senate race

Trump came to Texas to back Republican Ken Paxton ahead of the 3 November midterms, where Paxton faces Democrat James Talarico. Polsat News reports that polls suggest Paxton could lose. AdImpact has tracked more than $563 million in advertising across the primary and general election campaigns, which the Independent describes as one of the most expensive contests in the country. Elon Musk has put at least $158 million into the effort: he gave that sum to the Senate Leadership Fund, which passed the same amount to the Texas PAC, the largest contributor to Paxton's campaign. Musk has attacked Talarico on X, calling him "lunatic left" in posts to his 241 million followers. Trump called Paxton a "good man" and said in Texas that a candidate who dislikes guns, meat or oil should lose by a wide margin.

Total ad spending, primary and general (more than, AdImpact)563

Musk money via Senate Leadership Fund (at least)158

Total ad spending, primary and general (more than, AdImpact)

563 USD millions

Musk money via Senate Leadership Fund (at least)

158 USD millions

Data from the article text

Talarico's counterattack

Talarico has made the influence of wealthy donors a central theme of his campaign, arguing at each stop that money has corrupted politics and fuelled the affordability crisis. He has begun naming Musk in his stump speeches, while Paxton rarely discusses him.

“He is trying to buy Texas. Texas is not for sale.”

Talarico, a seminarian and former teacher, spoke in Lubbock about an hour after Trump finished a speech across town. He drew on Bible metaphors and Friday night football to cast himself as an underdog against Trump and Musk. Musk is bankrolling attack ads against Talarico on Paxton's behalf.