Trump taunts Trudeau again, says Canada should be a US state

The US president-elect said Canadians would ‘save massively on taxes and military protection’ if their country becomes the 51st state

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Donald Trump with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau (left) at the White House in 2017. Photo: AFP

Published: 9:00pm, 18 Dec 2024

Donald Trump threw a fresh taunt at Canada as Prime Minister Justin Trudeau tries to weather a crisis sparked by the sudden departure of a minister who was a bulwark against the US president-elect’s plan to start trade wars with his neighbours.

“No one can answer why we subsidise Canada to the tune of over $100,000,000 a year? Makes no sense!” Trump said in a post early Wednesday on Truth Social. “Many Canadians want Canada to become the 51st State. They would save massively on taxes and military protection. I think it is a great idea. 51st State!!!”

Trump has been joking that Canada could always become the US’s 51st state – and Trudeau its governor – ever since the Canadian leader rushed out to see him at his Mar-a-Lago resort. But the lighthearted comments seemingly made in jest over a Thanksgiving dinner have taken a more sinister undertone with Trudeau now fighting for his political survival.

It is unclear why Trump cited the figure of US$100 million and he has used US$100 billion in the past.

The US goods trade deficit with Canada through October was US$50.5 billion and the gap for all of 2023 was US$64.3 billion, according to Census data. In a 2018 post on the social media platform known as Twitter at the time, he complained about how Canada makes “almost $100 Billion Dollars in Trade with US”.

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