The Washington Post reports that at the Alfalfa Club’s annual dinner in Washington, D.C., in late January 2026, Donald Trump delivered a joke-filled speech on the topic of new states.
He mentioned Greenland, Canada, and Venezuela as potential U.S. states.
Trump joked that he never actually wanted Greenland to become the 51st state.
“I want to make Canada the 51st state,” he said.
Continuing the joke, he noted that if Canada becomes the 51st, Greenland will be next, as the 52nd state. He also reiterated that the United States is not going to “invade” Greenland, but “buy” it.
As a conclusion to his expansionist “joke”, he mentioned that Venezuela could become the 53rd state.
