Donald Trump said he was serious about his desire for Canada to become a US state, vexing many Canadians.
In an interview that aired Sunday on Fox News, anchor Bret Baier asked the president about comments made by Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in a private meeting on Friday.
“He said that your wish for Canada be the 51st state is a quote, ‘real thing.’ Is it a real thing?” Baier asked.
“Yeah, it is,” Trump replied. “I think Canada would be much better off being a 51st state, because we lose $200 billion a year with Canada and I’m not going to let that happen.”
“It’s too much. Why are we paying $200 billion a year, essentially in subsidy to Canada? Now, if they are a 51st state, I don’t mind doing it,” he added.
The US doesn’t provide any such “subsidy” to Canada, but Trump has cited that figure before. He was referring to trade deficits and US defence spending that Canada benefits from, a transition spokesperson told CNN last month.
But economists have said that’s not a fair representation of how trade deficits work. The US trade deficit with Canada exists predominantly because of Canadian oil imports, which the US receives at a discount.
Earlier this month, the president said he would introduce 25% tariffs on Canadian imports, but he announced a 30-day pause on implementing them after the northern neighbor threatened retaliatory tariffs and said it would negotiate to appease Trump’s concerns about border security.
Trump has been talking about making Canada a part of the US since late last year, but it was previously framed as a provocative joke.
Canadians and Trump critics were definitely not laughing at the president’s latest remarks.
“Not going to happen. Not now, not ever,” Aileen Machell, deputy chief of staff to British Columbia’s Premier David Eby, posted on X. “In this time of global uncertainty, one thing is certain — we will never be the 51st state.”
Other commenters called it “unsettling for many Canadians” and “disgusting, reactionary rhetoric.”
Check out some of the other reactions below.
