President-elect Donald Trump continued his flirtation with annexing Canada after the resignation of Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
Trudeau announced his resignation as prime minister and head of the Liberal Party on Monday, ending nine years as the country’s head. Rather than easing up, Trump took the opportunity to reinforce his proposal to absorb Canada into the United States, saying many Canadians would “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. 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,” Trump argued in a Truth Social post.
“Together, what a great Nation it would be!!!” he added.
Trump contributed to Trudeau’s downfall with his proposed 25% tariff on imports from the country and mocking of the prime minister as the “governor” of the “Great State of Canada.” These crises riddled the Liberal Party with even more problems while already facing problems over immigration and the economy. Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland cited Trump’s threats in her December resignation.
However, Trump’s continued taunting of Canada could jeopardize his relationship with a future non-liberal government. Conservative Party leader Pierre Poilievre, who is favored as the next prime minister, has forcefully rebuffed Trump’s suggestions.
“I have the strength and the smarts to stand up for this country, and my message to incoming President Trump is that first and foremost, Canada will never be the 51st state of the U.S.,” Poilievre said in an interview with CTV’s Your Morning last month.
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How serious Trump is about Canadian annexation isn’t clear, and he has also floated the annexation of Greenland and the Panama Canal. The president-elect began his threats on Truth Social in late November.
However, annexing Canada could pose more problems for Trump than it’s worth. On political grounds, Canada is significantly to the left of the U.S., meaning that Republicans would be unlikely to win another general election if Canadians were absorbed into the country, Carleton University professor Aaron Ettinger explained.