President-elect Donald Trump used Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s resignation Monday to push for the unification of the U.S. and Canada.
Mr. Trump revived his “51st state” talk hours after Mr. Trudeau called it quits after nearly a decade as prime minister.
“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,” Mr. Trump wrote on Truth Social. “Together, what a great Nation it would be!!!”
Few people take Mr. Trump’s talk of absorbing Canada seriously, though the president-elect mentions it every chance he gets.
It began as a way to heap pressure on Mr. Trudeau, who traveled to Mar-a-Lago to pacify Mr. Trump after the incoming U.S. leader threatened to impose a 25% tariff on goods from Mexico and Canada if they failed to rein in illegal immigration and drug trafficking.
Mr. Trump told Mr. Trudeau that Canada should become a state if it can’t handle the levies. For weeks, he needled Mr. Trudeau as a “governor.”
Mr. Trump’s comments may have been the straw that broke the camel’s back in Ottawa, adding to Mr. Trudeau’s struggles with a weak economy, lingering resentment over his COVID-19 policies and voter fatigue after a decade at the helm of America’s northern neighbor.
“Many people in Canada LOVE being the 51st State. The United States can no longer suffer the massive Trade Deficits and Subsidies that Canada needs to stay afloat. Justin Trudeau knew this, and resigned,” Mr. Trump wrote.
Canada is the second-largest country in the world by area, but its population of 40 million barely exceeds that of California.
Mr. Trump’s comments on Canada coincide with similar remarks about the U.S. retaking the Panama Canal or taking control of Greenland.
Canada and Greenland are part of an Arctic region that is increasingly important as a shipping and defense channel given the rate of melting ice, which has been attributed to a warming climate.