Trump Pledges Release of All Venezuelan Political Prisoners; Escalates '51st State' Campaign with Truth Social Graphic

On May 12–13, 2026, US President Donald Trump signaled escalating personal investment in Venezuela's post-Maduro transition on two fronts. First, ahead of his departure for a China summit, Trump told reporters 'we're going to get them all out,' directly pledging US effort to secure the release of all remaining Venezuelan political prisoners. Rights group Foro Penal indicated over 600 detainees had been released since January 2026 under Venezuela's Amnesty Law, but over 450 remained in custody — including individuals convicted of politically motivated crimes related to the July 2024 post-election crackdown. Trump praised Acting President Delcy Rodríguez as doing a 'great job,' continuing his pattern of publicly endorsing the transitional government while demanding prisoner releases. Second, Trump posted a graphic on Truth Social on May 12 depicting the American flag overlaid on a map of Venezuela labeled '51st State,' escalating his earlier Fox News comments about 'seriously considering' Venezuelan statehood. Rodríguez had firmly rejected the statehood proposal on May 11, declaring it 'would never be foreseen' given Venezuela's independence heritage. Venezuelan officials and the opposition alike condemned the concept — one of the rare areas of agreement in Venezuela's fractured political landscape. Americas Quarterly reported on May 13 that Rodríguez's strategy toward the US is 'normalization without transition': doing 'just enough to look compliant' while awaiting US midterm elections to erode Trump's political leverage, deferring meaningful democratic reforms.