Trump says he’s seriously considering making Venezuela the 51st US state
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/trump-venezuela-51st-state-b2974476.htmlOpen linkView original on lemmy.world232
Comments83https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/trump-venezuela-51st-state-b2974476.htmlOpen linkView original on lemmy.world
DC entered the chat
Honestly, unless we change our electoral college and the way that Senators represent people, which are things that we should totally do, we should break up our most populous states into smaller states. I would say that should be our first goal for new states.
States with large populations ironically have less proportional representation in the Senate, and they have fewer electors, per capita, in the presidential elections. In other words, in populous states like California, Texas, and Florida, the voters have less representation than if they lived in Wyoming.
Plus, the Senators and electors are generally winner-take-all, which means that, if you compare to a multiple state solution, the minorities in those states are essentially disenfranchised completely.
So, with such a large discrepancy in population between the most and least populous states, countless voters are getting screwed under our current system.
The only people who benefit from large, populous states are people who are leaders of some sort in those states. The governors of Texas and California have power over many more people than the governor of Alaska. Wealthy people get more if they buy a state politician in Texas than in Vermont.
It would make more sense to split some states up and maybe merge other states together until there is at least some pretense that each state has a similar population.
That is a wildly unreasonable backup plan. Texas isn't gonna agree to split. California isn't gonna agree to split. Like the only state that might consider it is...Alaska? I don't know. I don't think yoconsidering what a massive undertaking that is.
It'd be easier to replace FPTP with something else. But if even that is too hard, the simplest solution is to just get rid of the electoral college. The popular vote is unaffected by state size and without the electoral college, "swing states" don't exist so campaigns would become more distributed across the country
Also the constitution explicitly says you can't split off a state from a state without the parent state's consent.
FPTP primaries can be implemented in most places without any need to win elections or hold seats first. Of course though the Democrats aren't doing this already because then every one of their geriatric do nothings in blue areas would be replaced by mamdani-esque candidates.
Split, no, secede, yes. NCR here we come!
Or just add about 1000 reps to the 435 that are already there. And nuke the electoral college via the interstate voting compact
Doesn't fix the Senate... But these are at least things that have a reasonable chance to be executed on.
States can determine how they apportion electors so that can be cured with ranked choice voting, something being passed and proposed by referendums in multiple states, including michigan soon. I know Alaska already has it.
As to breaking up the big states, it's neither here nor there. There is not a chance of that happening in a way that makes things better any time soon.
Oh yeah, also a number of shitholy states in 2021 took the apportionment of electors from the popular vote, and gave it to their legislatures. So they don't have to honor the popular vote anymore. GA is one.
a lot of puerto ricans don’t want statehood
Christopher Walken in Seven Psychopaths is my favorite version of this.
Wait. So now Venezuelans are now citizens and cannot be deported?
And also get to vote and have representation in the house and senate?
I would be perfectly happy if 42 million more communists joined the US.
Seriously though, can you imagine how much progressive legislation would get passed if the Venezuelan populace were allowed to vote in US elections?
Well, they are already arresting and deporting US citizens, so...
Yawn.. Here we go again.
What's grampa dementia tryin' to deflect our attention from now?
The same thing he distracts from every night, Pinky. The fact that he's in the Epstein files.
Well yeah.. that's obvious.. but he's gone "extra special" the last few days.. Inflation's biting the economy now, so mabe the news on that sent him completely off the rails? Seems like.
Thank you for your attention to this matter.
To be fair, "he fucked...", but probably isnt doing it now. Probably?
Just bombing them instead. Much better.
Yeah no way his dick still works.
Vance thinks he's a couch
Poor trump, I feel for the guy.
Born too late to play Napoleon, born too early to play a Mad Max warlord.
It's a tragedy really.
...fucking clown.
In the medieval or classical age he would have been served a poison chalice long ago
...born just in time to be on television.
Come on, now, if you really think his ideal is "warlord", you've been paying more attention to what conservatives fantasize than who he actually is. Trump is a theater kid. An Andrew Lloyd Webber stan. He has the soundtrack to Cats on hand at all times. His favorite part of the presidency is that he gets to be on TV whenever he so chooses.
I would pay good money to see Donald Trump direct a battle, he's not one for tactics, or subtlety, or contingency plans.
why do they keep posting shit like that
They need this carefully crafted image in the media of a stupid and crazy maniac.
His adversaries can underestimate him and he can get out of difficult questions simply by talking gibberish.
More importantly:
In the short term he's president he can act like a loose cannon, make wild moves that wouldn't be possible under a rational president.
Even against
partnervassal countries.And in 2 years they can blame it all on him, of course they will not (be able to) change the beneficial things for the powers behind the curtain.
The next face will definitely apologize for stealing oil from Venezuela, etc but explain the situation is changed now, contracts with oil companies signed and more excuses to keep this situation in place.
Every 3rd rate celebrity has people to manage their many social media accounts.
Do people actually believe he's coming up with all the crazy tweets or messages?
The 'I have all the cards' one is obvious.
They chose this game specifically.
As if there's nobody in his media team that knows how to play UNO and would let it pass.
I am not buying the act.
I dunno, maybe because he's the chief executive of the US federal government?
How many 51st states does the US need?
As many as they need to get a 51st 51st state.
We are getting ChatGPT to count.
He just posted this..
What a moron. He really is the worst president in American history
..so far.
The way he's going he will also be the last president in American history. Since he's obviously trying for a civil war.
I am, without a doubt, the worst president in American history, possibly world history. Someone should look into that.
-Donald Trump
Just in American history?
Touché
As a Canadian, I'm offended. Two-timing jerk, I thought we were the 51st state. /s
Can someone take this fucker out of office already?
I'm so tired of this shit.
So he's cheating on Canada?
I swear that his time with Venezuela didn't mean anything. It was just real quick, in and out. It was just his first land grab. Ya know to get it out of the way.
The next one will be better. He'll take his time, light candles, and make it nice.
nobody believes this orange moron anymore
https://www.inedjobs.com/2026/01/salaries-in-venezuela-2026.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Venezuela
Only place on Earth that would cheer the arrival of a 7.25 USD minimum wage
Epstein files
Pretty sure granting statehood is not an executive privilege.
Donald Trump doesn't "seriously consider" anything at all. He just says and does whatever the fuck pops into his addled brain at any given moment.
Orange turd.
Will ICE be use to deport people of Venezula out of the US?
Well, that's one way to lose a Republican senate majority
A lot of that country is right leaning.
I guess he realized Canada wasn't gonna let it happen so he switched to a smaller target to bully.
Didn't this guy want to make English the official language of America?
He can barely speak it.
So US minimum wage for Venezuela?
Venezuelan minimum wage for the US.
The nuance. The depth.
Well no. I mean can you imagine how much the republicans would hate that as a state? They would never get a vote there. It would also embarrass the fuck out of the Texas secessionist movement
Making Venezuela a state means they could travel freely throughout the US, without restrictions. Tens of millions of them. It's the dumbest thing this guy has said in a while really (maybe,) because as you say, his base would reject that strongly based on the mass migration.
I mean it could be argued venezuela is a US colony right now. I know the current court would not see it that way but realistically if the US says Venezuela and its president is subject to US laws that puts them in same position as guam or puerto rico.
I think there's a good argument that since the beginning of this year Venezuelans are constitutionally US citizens.
The fact of the matter is, the army gave up Maduro, that the US wouldn't have attempted that op without buy in from venezuela's military. Helicopters are vulnerable to multiple ground based weapon systems the US couldn't reliably take out.
The Venezuelan civilian leadership has since ousted many of their generals, probably because of this fact.
They are far from controlled by the US, and it's a very large country, near 30 million people in a massive area, larger than any State save Alaska, which is around 500k square miles while Venezuela 352k. Much of it mountain and jungle, (makes it harder to stamp out resistance.)
All the US did was pressure their military leaders to try and coup them, then seemingly failed to back up the coup. We are forcing them to sell their oil to whom we say, there is that. But that is about the extent of it at this point.
Sounds like he wants to sell his oil stocks
I hope the good Lord shows mercy and takes Mango Mussolini quickly.
It’s already far too late. Even if it happens tomorrow it wasn’t early enough.
But their votes don't count in our elections
At this point I just want Trump to make some 51st state. So bored of the chity chaty..
I have to hand it to his handlers, this is a very lateral thinking move for dealing with the perceived problem of immigration. 800k fewer immigrants in the USA with the stroke of a pen. Genius.
They did kinda coup them and they don't have the military capacities of Iran so, maybe? It's not a morality or legality thing, the empire doesn't care about that, just feasibility.
I mean even pragmatically there's literally no reason to do this. Not having to do that is the whole reason neocolonialism is a thing, and that's a game the US are already masters at. Really it's just the dementia again.
God willing your analysis isn't missing anything major and it is just dementia/posturing/yapping for his base. 🥲
And I‘m seriously considering making the US my personal vassal state.
See, that’s about as reliable as the stuff this orange turdball spouts all day
You know they do them in pairs, Venezuela might vote Democrat. DC and Puerto Rico would vote Democrat.
As stupid as it is, it would give their economy a massive kick, wouldn't it?
It wouldn't be 'their' economy then would it?
How about americans stop sanctioning them (and other countries) and stop stealing their resources,
I never said it would be a good thing :shrug: yall are overreacting
Who's overreacting here?
I simply answered your question.