President Trump on Monday reiterated his desire to see Canada become part of the United States as he prepared to impose steep tariffs on Canadian goods.
“What I’d like to see — Canada become our 51st state,” Trump said in the Oval Office when asked what concessions Canada could offer to stave off tariffs.
Trump downplayed the significance of the economic relationship between the two countries, even though Canada is one of the United States’ top trade partners. He argued the U.S. did not need Canada’s lumber or automobile production.
The president suggested it’s unlikely the U.S. will annex Canada, partly because neither side would be willing to put up with the economic pain that would be required for that to happen.
“We don’t need them. As a state, it’s different. As a state it’s much different. And there are no tariffs,” Trump said. “So I’d love to see that. Some people say that would be a longshot. If people wanted to play the game right, it would be 100 percent certain that they’d become a state. But a lot of people don’t like to play the game. Because they don’t have a threshold of pain.”
Trump spoke Monday morning with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, and the two were expected to speak again later in the day. The U.S. is set to impose a 25 percent tariff on Canadian imports starting at midnight, with the exception of energy products, which will be tariffed at 10 percent.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Saturday night that Canada would impose 25 percent tariffs on more than $100 billion in U.S. goods. Trudeau’s likely successor, Pierre Poilievre, called Trump’s tariffs “unjust and unjustified” and called for a “dollar-for-dollar” response.
Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) warned in a statement late Friday that certain tariffs on Canadian imports “will impose a significant burden on many families, manufacturers, the forest products industry, small businesses, lobstermen, and agricultural producers.”
Trump has for months mused about adding Canada as a 51st state, something Canadian leaders have repeatedly rejected as a possibility.
