It may have begun as a taunt against Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, but President-elect Donald Trump appears to like the idea of Canada becoming America’s 51st state. A lot.
After Trudeau announced his resignation on Monday, Trump took to Truth Social to write:
Many people in Canada LOVE being the 51st State. The United States can no longer suffer the massive Trade Deficits and Subsidies that Canada needs to stay afloat. Justin Trudeau knew this, and resigned. If Canada merged with the U.S., there would be no Tariffs, taxes would go way down, and they would be TOTALLY SECURE from the threat of the Russian and Chinese Ships that are constantly surrounding them. Together, what a great Nation it would be!!!
On Tuesday night, Trump went even further. He shared a revised map of the United States, including Canada, with the caption, “Oh Canada!”
He then posted a second map of Canada and the U.S. as one country with the label “United States” written in bold black letters across the image.
At a Mar-a-Lago news conference earlier in the day, Trump told reporters, “Canada and the United States. That would really be something. … They should be a state.”
Trudeau, who will step down as soon as a replacement is named, threw cold water on the idea in an X post, writing, “There isn’t a snowball’s chance in hell that Canada would become part of the United States.”
Elon Musk responded to Trudeau’s tweet with his customary wit. He wrote: “Girl, you’re not the governor of Canada anymore, so doesn’t matter what you say.”
Others responded:
One Twitter user asked how a “militaristic, traditional country” became “so gay.”
Even though the soon-to-be former Prime Minister was largely mocked on social media, he isn’t alone in his sentiments.
Perhaps the most important opinion is that of Pierre Poilievre, the leader of Canada’s Conservative Party, who is likely to become the country’s next prime minister. In a Tuesday post on X, he wrote, “Canada will never be the 51st state. Period. We are a great and independent country.”
Below, Canadian Minister of Foreign Affairs Mélanie Joly signals her opposition:
Speaking to reporters on Monday, Ontario Premier Doug Ford said, “You know something, to the president I’ll make him a counteroffer … How about if we buy Alaska and throw in Minnesota and Minneapolis at the same time? … [Trump] may be joking, but under my watch, that will never ever happen.” [I don’t think Trump is joking.]
I’ve read similar versions of Ford’s remarks online in recent days.
Others see the idea of Canada joining the United States as sheer madness. One X user dismissed Trump’s latest provocation as “unhinged.” Another noted that it was “not funny. This redrawn map of the U.S.-Canada border only serves to expose Trump as an imbecile who possesses the maturity of a petulant six-year-old child.”
Newsweek considers the prospect of Canada becoming the 51st U.S. state to be “remote at best” and expressed concern that Trump’s “escalating rhetoric could signal a coming decline in U.S.-Canada relations.”
While none of us know how this will end, I have learned never to underestimate Trump. Although the idea seems preposterous initially, it makes sense in many ways. And we have yet to hear from Canadian citizens who may embrace the concept of U.S. citizenship, particularly protection under the Second Amendment, lower taxes, and shorter wait times for medical care.
In remarks to reporters on Tuesday, Trump ruled out using military force to annex Canada. He said he would use “economic force” only. “Because Canada and the United States, that would really be something. You get rid of that artificially drawn line, and you take a look at what that looks like, and it would also be much better for national security,” he added.
We’ll see where this goes.
Elizabeth writes commentary for The Washington Examiner. She is an academy fellow at The Heritage Foundation and a member of the Editorial Board at The Sixteenth Council, a London think tank. Please follow Elizabeth on X or LinkedIn.
CLICK HERE FOR FULL VERSION OF THIS STORY