Expanded States of America/Playing With

Basic Trope: The United States has expanded to include more states, or surrounding nations.
 * Straight: The United States now has 53 states.
 * Exaggerated: The US expands to encompasses most of the world.
 * Downplayed: The US only has one new state, and it is one of its former territories.
 * Justified: A nation became too weak to support itself and asked to join the Union, or a territory voted to join the Union because of political reasons
 * Inverted: The United States loses states for whatever reason, becoming smaller.
 * Subverted: The US joins with Canada and Mexico, not because the US is more powerful, but because it is weak now and needs them to survive.
 * Double Subverted: However, the US sector of the new Union becomes powerful enough that it takes over and the Union is pretty much an Expanded States of America.
 * Parodied:
 * A nation (usually that the US has considerable influence over in real life) becomes a state.
 * The trope in the form of a Visual Pun.
 * Deconstructed: Members of the new state are upset having to lose certain rights or privileges due to joining the US.
 * Reconstructed: The trope is played straight, but with the problems brought up by the Deconstruction dealt with or addressed.
 * Zig Zagged: The US expands West, gathering up Asia, but another power expands into the US taking up the East Coast.
 * Averted: The US stays as 50 states.
 * Enforced: A patriotic group wants to show a positive world with America at the forefront.
 * Lampshaded: A Genre Savvy Character points out that the trope will be used and/or the ridiculousness of the trope being used in the current situation.
 * Invoked: A Genre Savvy Character sets up a situation where the trope can occur.
 * Exploited: A Genre Savvy Character takes advantage of the fact that the trope will occur, possibly-- but not necessarily-- Invoking it in the process.
 * Defied: A Genre Savvy Character tries to prevent a trope from happening.
 * Discussed: Genre Savvy Characters talk about the trope in a situation where it is likely to happen.
 * Conversed: Genre Savvy Characters talk about the trope in a Show Within a Show.
 * Played For Laughs: The trope is played in the most comedic way possible.
 * Played For Drama: The US expands violently, crushing all in its path.
 * Plotted A Good Waste: The (normally unintentional) trope is used quite intentionally.

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