US President-elect Donald Trump said that he plans to use “economic force” to make Canada a part of the United States on Tuesday, January 7, 2025, which caused a strong reaction from Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. When asked if he was considering using military force to take over Canada, Trump responded with a firm “No” at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida. In recent , Truweeks mp has repeatedly suggested that he wants Canada to become the 51st state of the U.S. and has often mocked Trudeau as the “Governor of Canada.”
Trump explained that he would use economic force because joining Canada and the U.S. would be beneficial for both countries. He argued that removing the border between the two countries would improve national security and emphasized that the U.S. already protects Canada. “Don’t forget, we basically protect Canada,” Trump said.
Trudeau, who resigned as prime minister the day before, reacted strongly on social media, saying there is no chance that Canada would ever become part of the U.S. He also highlighted that both countries benefit from being each other’s biggest trade and security partners.
Trump, however, argued that the U.S. could no longer afford to financially support Canada. “I love the Canadian people, they’re great. But we’re spending hundreds of billions a year to protect it,” he said. He added that the U.S. loses a significant amount of money in trade with Canada, claiming that the U.S. does not need Canada’s cars, lumber, or dairy products because it already produces enough on its own.
Trump also questioned why the U.S. should continue to support Canada financially, pointing out that the U.S. is already in debt. He suggested that Canada would not be able to function without the U.S. support, especially in areas like the car market. He also mentioned that Canada benefits from U.S. military protection and other subsidies, and said that these kinds of arrangements should only apply to U.S. states, not foreign countries.
In his comparison, Trump pointed out that the U.S. has a large trade deficit with the European Union, where the U.S. does not get much in return. He made it clear that the U.S. would not continue this kind of trade relationship, whether with Canada or the EU.
