Karoline Leavitt's glamorous stand-in tries to defend Trump's wild new 51st state plan... with a masterclass in saying nothing

By NIKKI SCHWAB, CHIEF CAMPAIGN CORRESPONDENT Published: 22:22, 11 May 2026 | Updated: 22:22, 11 May 2026 White House spokesperson Anna Kelly on Monday defended President Donald Trump's wild plan to turn Venezuela into the 51st American state.  Kelly, a former beauty pageant competitor and principal deputy White House press secretary, is taking on a larger role with press secretary Karoline Leavitt out on maternity leave.  She was asked about Trump's 51st state quip by Fox News Channel's John Roberts, the same journalist the President told it to, in a phone interview earlier Monday.  Roberts said that Trump told him, 'I'm very serious about this,' before asking Kelly to respond.  'Well, John, I won't get ahead of what the President was comfortable sharing with you as far as those plans go,' she answered. 'But look, this is a President who is famous for never accepting the status quo.' Trump would need Congressional approval to make Venezuela a state.  Venezuela, a sovereign nation, would also have to agree to it.  Kelly didn't answer Roberts's question about how it would work, with the journalist pointing out that the United States has never absorbed another country.  White House spokesperson Anna Kelly (left) defended President Donald Trump's (right) wild plan to turn Venezuela into the 51st American state during an appearance on Fox News Channel Monday afternoon  Anna Kelly (right) has stepped into a bigger role now that her boss, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt (left), is on maternity leave  'He is always considering a host of options to improve our country,' she said.  'And of course, Venezuela, now led by President Delcy Rodríguez, is working incredibly cooperatively with the United States, so I won't get ahead of any plans that the President may have to that effect,' she added.  In January, Trump ordered the capture of Venezuelan dictator Nicolás Maduro, leaving Maduro's No. 2, Rodríguez, in charge.  The President passed over Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado to lead the country, even after she gifted Trump her Nobel Peace Prize in mid-January.  With Trump's focus now on Iran, and Americans feeling weary about the war, the White House has tried to characterize Venezuela as now being problem-free.  'This has been a tremendous success,' Kelly argued.  'The United States is revitalizing our relationship with Venezuela and, in turn, improving the economic situation of both countries and our people,' she added.  Trump has traditionally been against adding more US states, due to the politics of the places that have historically pursued statehood.  Anna Kelly, the principal deputy White House press secretary, competed in beauty pageants before becoming one of the top faces of the administration  Statehood is overwhelmingly supported in Washington, DC, where the approximately 700,000 residents of the capital city have no voting members of Congress.  They do get to vote in presidential elections, with 90.3 percent voting for Democratic nominee, Vice President Kamala Harris, in the 2024 election. Just 6.5 percent of DC residents voted for Trump.   Puerto Ricans are more divided over statehood, but residents of the island territory have also pursued it.  Last month, at an event on Trump-branded retirement accounts, the President complained that if Democrats won back the Senate, they'd quickly try to make DC and Puerto Rico states. 'That would mean automatic four senators go into the Democrat column,' Trump warned. 'And there's not even a chance they don't do it and don't do it immediately.'   No comments have so far been submitted. Why not be the first to send us your thoughts, or debate this issue live on our message boards. By posting your comment you agree to our house rules. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual We will automatically post your comment and a link to the news story to your Facebook timeline at the same time it is posted on MailOnline. To do this we will link your MailOnline account with your Facebook account. We’ll ask you to confirm this for your first post to Facebook. You can choose on each post whether you would like it to be posted to Facebook. Your details from Facebook will be used to provide you with tailored content, marketing and ads in line with our Privacy Policy.