Donald Trump, Venezuelan oil, and ‘the 51st state’
Published . Updated .
As first barrel of Venezuelan crude arrives in the US, controversial oil deal with Caracas is seen by many as US asset seizure
Directly affected
- No company is named in this report.
Indirectly affected
- USO United States Oil Fund+7.3% 30d
United States Oil Fund: its price follows crude oil. Linked by “oil” (oil) in this story.
- XLE Energy Select Sector SPDR+6.2% 30d
Energy Select Sector SPDR: its price follows crude oil. Linked by “oil” (oil) in this story.
- BWET Breakwave Tanker Shipping ETF+40.2% 19d
Breakwave Tanker Shipping ETF: it tracks tanker freight rates. Linked by “oil” (tanker shipping) in this story.
- XOM ExxonMobil Holdings+10.3% 14d
ExxonMobil Holdings (petroleum refining): oil producers' profits rise and fall with crude prices. Linked by “oil” (oil) in this story.
- CVX Chevron+8.4% 30d
Chevron (petroleum refining): oil producers' profits rise and fall with crude prices. Linked by “oil” (oil) in this story.
- COP ConocoPhillips+8.0% 30d
ConocoPhillips (petroleum refining): oil producers' profits rise and fall with crude prices. Linked by “oil” (oil) in this story.
- SHEL Shell+0.1% 13d
Shell (crude petroleum and natural gas): oil producers' profits rise and fall with crude prices. Linked by “oil” (oil) in this story.
- FRO Frontline+2.8% 30d
Frontline (deep sea foreign transportation of freight): tanker owners earn more when more crude has to move by sea. Linked by “oil” (tanker shipping) in this story.
Price reaction, T-5 to T+3
| Ticker | T-5 | T-3 | T-1 | T0 | T+1 | T+2 | T+3 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| USO | -2.52% | -0.26% | base | -1.27% | after close | after close | after close |
| XLE | -1.29% | +1.72% | base | +0.29% | after close | after close | after close |
| BWETNo price data for this ticker | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| XOM | -2.14% | +1.35% | base | +0.44% | after close | after close | after close |
| CVX | -1.18% | +1.19% | base | +0.52% | after close | after close | after close |
| COP | -2.27% | +1.58% | base | +0.38% | after close | after close | after close |
| SHELNo price data for this ticker | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| FRONo price data for this ticker | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Closing-price change versus T-1, the last close before the story. T0 to T+3 fill in after each market close. Prices: Alpaca IEX.
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Donald Trump, Venezuelan oil, and ‘the 51st state’ The Week
Source: The Week
United States Oil Fund (USO) since “Donald Trump, Venezuelan oil, and ‘the 51st state’,” compared with the market
| Company | When | Move | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conocophillips (COP) | that day | +0.38% | still updating |
| Conocophillips (COP) | three days earlier | +1.58% | final price |
| Conocophillips (COP) | five days earlier | -2.27% | final price |
| Chevron (CVX) | that day | +0.52% | still updating |
| Chevron (CVX) | three days earlier | +1.19% | final price |
| Chevron (CVX) | five days earlier | -1.18% | final price |
| United States Oil Fund (USO) | that day | -1.27% | still updating |
| United States Oil Fund (USO) | three days earlier | -0.26% | final price |
| United States Oil Fund (USO) | five days earlier | -2.52% | final price |
| Select Sector Spdr Tr (XLE) | that day | +0.29% | still updating |
| Select Sector Spdr Tr (XLE) | three days earlier | +1.72% | final price |
| Select Sector Spdr Tr (XLE) | five days earlier | -1.29% | final price |
| ExxonMobil Holdings (XOM) | that day | +0.44% | still updating |
| ExxonMobil Holdings (XOM) | three days earlier | +1.35% | final price |
| ExxonMobil Holdings (XOM) | five days earlier | -2.14% | final price |
Trades by members of Congress and officials in the stocks in this story
- Rep. Kevin Hern sold ExxonMobil Holdings (XOM) (jointly held), worth $100,001 - $250,000 on 31 Aug 2026. That is 59 days before publication. Filed 25 Sep 2026. View the filing.
- Donald J Trump, an executive branch official, bought ExxonMobil Holdings (XOM), worth $250,001 - $500,000 on 31 Jul 2026. That is 90 days before publication. Filed 22 Sep 2026. View the filing.
- Rep. Kevin Hern sold Chevron (CVX) (jointly held), worth $15,001 - $50,000 on 23 Sep 2026. That is 36 days before publication. Filed 13 Oct 2026. View the filing.
- Rep. Maria Elvira Salazar bought Chevron (CVX), worth $1,001 - $15,000 on 2 Sep 2026. That is 57 days before publication. Filed 7 Oct 2026. View the filing.
- Donald J Trump, an executive branch official, bought Chevron (CVX), worth $15,001 - $50,000 on 26 Aug 2026. That is 64 days before publication. Filed 8 Oct 2026. View the filing.
- Rep. Michael T. McCaul sold Conocophillips (COP) (held by a spouse), worth $1,001 - $15,000 on 26 Aug 2026. That is 64 days before publication. Filed 14 Oct 2026. View the filing.
- Rep. Michael T. McCaul sold Conocophillips (COP) (held by a spouse), worth $1,001 - $15,000 on 24 Aug 2026. That is 66 days before publication. Filed 14 Oct 2026. View the filing.
- Donald J Trump, an executive branch official, bought Conocophillips (COP), worth $1,000,001 - $5,000,000 on 21 Aug 2026. That is 69 days before publication. Filed 8 Oct 2026. View the filing.
Public disclosure filings, not a recommendation. The filing link is the source document. News use of these reports still sits under 5 U.S.C. § 13107(c).
Who is named in “Donald Trump, Venezuelan oil, and ‘the 51st state’”
Companies tied to this story
- USO United States Oil Fund
For “Donald Trump, Venezuelan oil, and ‘the 51st state’,” United States Oil Fund (USO) is linked, with no stored direction, medium confidence. Reason on file: United States Oil Fund: its price follows crude oil. Linked by “oil” (oil) in this story
- XLE Select Sector Spdr Tr
In “Donald Trump, Venezuelan oil, and ‘the 51st state’,” Select Sector Spdr Tr (XLE) is linked, with no stored direction, medium confidence. Reason on file: Energy Select Sector SPDR: its price follows crude oil. Linked by “oil” (oil) in this story
- BWET Amplify Commodity Trust
Amplify Commodity Trust (BWET) is linked, with no stored direction, medium confidence in the 29 Oct 2026 story “Donald Trump, Venezuelan oil, and ‘the 51st state’.” Reason on file: Breakwave Tanker Shipping ETF: it tracks tanker freight rates. Linked by “oil” (tanker shipping) in this story
- XOM ExxonMobil Holdings
ExxonMobil Holdings (XOM) is linked, with no stored direction, medium confidence in the 29 Oct 2026 story “Donald Trump, Venezuelan oil, and ‘the 51st state’.” Reason on file: ExxonMobil Holdings (petroleum refining): oil producers' profits rise and fall with crude prices. Linked by “oil” (oil) in this story
- CVX Chevron
In “Donald Trump, Venezuelan oil, and ‘the 51st state’,” Chevron (CVX) is linked, with no stored direction, medium confidence. Reason on file: Chevron (petroleum refining): oil producers' profits rise and fall with crude prices. Linked by “oil” (oil) in this story
- COP Conocophillips
In “Donald Trump, Venezuelan oil, and ‘the 51st state’,” Conocophillips (COP) is linked, with no stored direction, medium confidence. Reason on file: ConocoPhillips (petroleum refining): oil producers' profits rise and fall with crude prices. Linked by “oil” (oil) in this story
- SHEL Shell
Shell (SHEL) is linked, with no stored direction, medium confidence in the 29 Oct 2026 story “Donald Trump, Venezuelan oil, and ‘the 51st state’.” Reason on file: Shell (crude petroleum and natural gas): oil producers' profits rise and fall with crude prices. Linked by “oil” (oil) in this story
- FRO Frontline
In “Donald Trump, Venezuelan oil, and ‘the 51st state’,” Frontline (FRO) is linked, with no stored direction, medium confidence. Reason on file: Frontline (deep sea foreign transportation of freight): tanker owners earn more when more crude has to move by sea. Linked by “oil” (tanker shipping) in this story
How “Donald Trump, Venezuelan oil, and ‘the 51st state’” reaches United States Oil Fund (USO)
United States Oil Fund (USO) is the company in “Donald Trump, Venezuelan oil, and ‘the 51st state’,” the 29 Oct 2026 Energy story.
United States Oil Fund (USO) is on the page because United States Oil Fund: its price follows crude oil. Linked by “oil” (oil) in this story
Also listed, Select Sector Spdr Tr (XLE): Energy Select Sector SPDR: its price follows crude oil. Linked by “oil” (oil) in this story
Price levels for United States Oil Fund (USO)
BWET traded between 788.51 and 1047.07 across 17 sessions. The latest close on file is 907.20. USO traded between 141.82 and 169.96 across 20 sessions. The latest close on file is 166.69. XLE traded between 61.05 and 69.86 across 20 sessions. The latest close on file is 68.46.
The energy score for United States Oil Fund (USO)
46 out of 100Price not final
“Donald Trump, Venezuelan oil, and ‘the 51st state’” scores 46 out of 100. The score uses 1 sources, and 8 linked companies. The price is not final yet.