US President-elect Donald Trump has expressed the opinion that Canadian citizens could save significantly on taxes and defense if the country became the 51st US state.
„Nobody can answer why we subsidize Canada to the tune of over $100,000,000 per year? It makes no sense! Many Canadians want Canada to become the 51st US state. This would allow them to save significantly on taxes and military defense. I think this is a great idea - the 51st state!“, the politician wrote on the social network Truth Social.
Earlier, amid disagreements between the two countries over the possible introduction of harsh tariffs, Trump called Prime Minister Justin Trudeau the governor of the “great state of Canada“.
"This is another joke". This is how Canadian Minister of National Defense William Blair commented on the words of the American politician. In an interview with NBC, Trump said that Canada and Mexico could become new American states, since the United States provides significant subsidies to these countries.
In late November, Trump held talks with Trudeau at his Mar-a-Lago residence (Florida). Then the newly elected American president told the Canadian prime minister that he would introduce tariffs on imports of goods from Canada. Trudeau, in turn, pointed out to the future head of the US administration that such measures would kill the Canadian economy, to which Trump replied that Canada could possibly become the 51st US state. This phrase caused a nervous laugh from the Canadian prime minister. Subsequently, Canadian Public Safety Minister Dominique LeBlanc assured reporters that Trump had not actually threatened Canada, but was simply joking.