Venezuela acting president rejects Trump 51st state remarks

Acting Venezuelan President Delcy Rodriguez on Monday rejected US President Donald Trump's suggestion that Washington could absorb Venezuela as the 51st state, declaring that Caracas would defend its independence while attending final hearings at the International Court of Justice in The Hague regarding a territorial dispute with Guyana.

Defense of sovereignty

Speaking to reporters outside the ICJ, Rodriguez responded directly to Trump's remarks, which were made during a recent Fox News interview. "We love our process of independence, we love our heroes of independence, and we will continue defending the integrity, the sovereignty, the independence, our history," she said, describing Venezuela's past as "a history of glories of men and women that gave their life to make sure that we were not colonies, but our independent country."

US-Venezuela tensions

Trump's comments about potentially annexing Venezuela follow the capture of former President Nicolas Maduro, who was taken from his residence in Caracas to the United States on January 2. Since that operation, Trump has indicated that he is "getting along very well with Venezuela," though Monday's statements from Rodriguez signal continued diplomatic friction between Washington and the acting government in Caracas.

The ICJ hearings concern the decades-old dispute between Venezuela and Guyana over the Essequibo region, an oil-rich territory that represents a significant portion of Guyana's current landmass. Final arguments in the case are being heard this week at the court's headquarters in the Netherlands.