Trump jokes about Canada being 51st in the US, calls Trudeau the governor

President-elect Donald Trump joked Wednesday that Canada becoming the 51st U.S. state could be “a great idea,” saying on social media that political unrest in Ottawa has led “many Canadians” to support it. idea.

“Many Canadians want Canada to become the 51st state,” Trump posted on Truth Social.

“They would save massively on taxes and military protection. I think it’s a great idea. 51st State!!!” he added.

The post is not the first time Trump has publicly raised the idea, a joke some have found in poor taste, particularly after the shock resignation of Canada’s deputy prime minister on Monday.

A public opinion poll conducted by Léger this week found that 13 per cent of Canadians support the idea of establishing a link with their neighbor to the south.

When Trump made the same comment to Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau during a dinner at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida in late November, peals of laughter reportedly erupted.

According to Fox News, Trump suggested that merging the two countries would not only resolve his concerns about fentanyl trafficking, over which he has threatened to impose 25% tariffs on Canadian products, but could also stem illegal immigration – a problem that primarily affects the U.S. southern border. .

His suggestion raised eyebrows in Ottawa, with some commenting that it was “not funny”, humiliating and a not-so-subtle threat from the new US leader.

Since then, Trump has repeatedly referred to Trudeau in his social media posts as the governor of Canada – a title used by the leaders of all 50 US states.

The blows may have become more worrying for Canadians since the resignation of Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland this week, which sparked calls for Trudeau to resign.

“Boxer working a cut”

Former Trudeau advisor Gerald Butts reacted on social media: “Trump is like a boxer working on a cut.”

Norman Spector, a former employee of former Canadian Prime Minister and Trump’s golfing friend Brian Mulroney, questions whether Trump is serious about annexing the United States’ northern neighbor.

“It will never happen,” Max Cameron, professor of politics at the University of British Columbia, told AFP.

“Nothing could pose a greater obstacle to Canada’s closer integration with the United States than Donald Trump in power in Washington,” he added.

“I suspect this is all part of a pattern of intimidation which is how he approaches negotiations.”

Stéphanie Chouinard, a professor at Queen’s University, echoed that view, saying Trump is “taking advantage of the chaos in Canadian politics this week to further antagonize Trudeau.”

Public Safety Minister Dominic LeBlanc insisted that despite Trump’s teasing, he and Trudeau had “productive” discussions with the president-elect and his team.

On Tuesday, LeBlanc and Immigration Minister Marc Miller announced border security and immigration measures aimed at appeasing Trump, including the hiring of hundreds of new police and border agents and the alignment of the immigration system. Canada’s asylum over that of the United States to quickly eliminate applications that do not meet the requirements.

Ottawa also proposed creating a Canadian-American “strike force” to fight transnational criminal groups and increasing its military spending.

In his message, Trump also said the United States subsidizes Canada “to the tune of over a million dollars a year.” This makes no sense! »

It’s unclear exactly what Trump’s figure was referring to.

According to US data for 2022, the trade deficit with Canada stood at $53.5 billion. Most economists consider this insignificant compared to the $909 billion in goods and services traded by the two countries.

Julien Martin, an economics professor at the University of Quebec in Montreal, explained that for Trump’s Republicans, “trade deficits are a big problem for the American economy.”

They represent “job losses and the decline of the manufacturing sector,” he said.