Canada as US' 51st state? Trump's 'joke' with Trudeau stirs controversy

US President-elect Donald Trump proposes a 25% tariff on imports from Canada and Mexico

Could Canada become the United States’ 51st state? Only time will tell. At least, that’s what US President-elect Donald Trump reportedly joked about with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, according to a report by Fox News, citing sources.

 

The remark was allegedly made during a dinner meeting with Trudeau at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago club in Florida on Friday, 29 November.

 

The meeting followed Trump’s proposal to impose a 25 per cent tariff on imports from Canada and Mexico if the two countries fail to take measures to restrict migrants and drug trafficking into the US. They also discussed the US trade deficit with Canada, which Trump estimated to exceed $100 billion, the report said.

 

During the meeting, Trudeau warned that the tariffs would “kill the Canadian economy.” In response, Trump reportedly quipped that if Canada couldn’t afford the tariffs, it should become the 51st state of the US, with Trudeau serving as its governor.

 

The remark prompted “nervous laughter” from Trudeau and others present, Fox News reported.

 

‘Comments made in jest’: Canadian minister

 

Following media reports about Trump’s comment, Canada’s Public Safety Minister Dominic LeBlanc, who attended the dinner, clarified that “the president was telling jokes. The president was teasing us. It was, of course, in no way a serious comment,” according to the Associated Press (AP).

 

LeBlanc added, “The fact that the president is able to joke like that with us indicates good relations.”

 

Trump appeared to stoke further discussion on Tuesday by sharing an AI-generated image of himself standing on a mountain next to Canada’s flag, captioned “Oh Canada!”

 

US-Canada relations

 

On Tuesday, Trudeau addressed the Canadian Parliament, stating, “Less than one per cent of migrants entering the United States irregularly come from Canada, and 0.2 per cent of the fentanyl entering the United States originates in Canada.”

 

Canadian officials have announced plans to deploy additional helicopters, drones, and law enforcement officers along the border to curb migration and drug trafficking, AP reported.

 

Meanwhile, Kristen Hillman, Canada’s ambassador to the US, emphasised the importance of contextualising discussions on the trade deficit.

 

“We are one-tenth the size of the United States, so a balanced trade deal would mean, per capita, we are buying 10 times more from the US than they are buying from us. If that’s his metric, we will certainly engage on that,” Hillman told AP.

 

With 77 per cent of Canada’s exports destined for the US, the proposed tariffs could pose a significant threat to Canada’s economy.

 

Last week, a senior Canadian official told AP that Canada is also considering potential retaliatory tariffs on select US goods if Trump follows through on his tariff proposal.