Prime Minister Justin Trudeau meets with then-U.S. President Donald Trump in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, D.C., in February, 2017.Sean Kilpatrick/The Canadian Press
United States president-elect Donald Trump used Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s resignation announcement to pitch the idea of Canada becoming the next U.S. state – a persistent theme in his social-media posts since winning the 2024 election.
Mr. Trump suggested on his Truth Social platform Monday that Canada joining the U.S. would solve its economic and security concerns.
“Many people in Canada LOVE being the 51st State,” he said.
“If Canada merged with the U.S., there would be no Tariffs, taxes would go way down, and they would be TOTALLY SECURE from the threat of the Russian and Chinese Ships that are constantly surrounding them. Together, what a great Nation it would be!!!”
Mr. Trump also speculated that Mr. Trudeau is leaving because he, as U.S. president-elect, declared his intention to end trade imbalances between the two countries. Mr. Trump, who takes office Jan. 20, has repeatedly complained since the November election that this amounts to the U.S. subsidizing Canada.
The U.S. trade deficit with Canada on an annual basis reached $100-billion as of early December, which Ottawa has said is largely caused by Canada’s significant oil and natural gas sales to the Americans.
“The United States can no longer suffer the massive Trade Deficits and Subsidies that Canada needs to stay afloat,” Mr. Trump posted on his Truth Social platform Monday.
“Justin Trudeau knew this, and resigned.”
Senior political reporter Marieke Walsh analyzes the fallout of Justin Trudeau's resignation as prime minister, from the lonely visual of him making the announcement on Jan. 6 to the contenders to take his place and the very short runway they have to make an impression.
The Globe and Mail
Mr. Trudeau announced Monday that he will step down as Prime Minister after the Liberal Party selects a new leader.
Mr. Trump said he thinks there is significant support in Canada for annexation by the U.S. But polls suggest he is mistaken.
A December Leger survey suggests only 13 per cent of Canadians would like the country to become the next U.S. state. Eighty-two per cent opposed to the idea. (Leger polled 1,520 people between Dec. 6 and Dec. 9. The survey does not have a margin of error because online polls aren’t considered truly random samples.)
Canada isn’t the only part of the world that Mr. Trump has eyes on. He has also resurrected an idea from his first term to buy Greenland, a Danish territory – a proposal Copenhagen quickly rejected.
“For purposes of National Security and Freedom throughout the World, the United States of America feels that the ownership and control of Greenland is an absolute necessity,” the U.S. president-elect said in a December statement.
Mr. Trump has also threatened to seize the Panama Canal from Panama unless the Central American country reduced canal transit fees for American vessels.
With a report from Canadian Press