Donald Trump told reporters Tuesday he planned to use ‘economic force’ to compel Canada into the Union, during rambling press conference where he declared ‘we don’t need anything they have.’
Trump, 78, spoke brazenly about pressuring the nation’s top trading partner after posting numerous missives in recent weeks about Canada becoming the 51st state, after a Canadian politician spoke about buying two U.S. states in response to Trump’s repeated comments.
Many of Trump’s earlier comments and postings could have been read as tongue-and-cheek. But Trump got asked about his designs on Canada Tuesday after refusing to rule out military force to retake the Panama Canal and to acquire Greenland, on a day when his son Donald Trump, Jr. was visiting the world’s largest island, giving his words added meaning.
Asked directly if he would apply military pressure to Canada, Trump ruled it out, but spoke of another kind of ‘force.’
‘No – economic force,’ Trump responded, ‘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,’ Trump said.
His remarks then touched on security – the U.S. provides a security umbrella with its nuclear and conventional forces – as well as trade and manufacturing, after making repeated comments about American empire.
‘There isn’t a snowball’s chance in hell that Canada would become part of the United States,’ Trudeau posted on X. ‘Workers and communities in both our countries benefit from being each other’s biggest trading and security partner.’
Canada is the largest U.S. trading partner, and the U.S. is running about a $6 billion trade deficit. Trump noted correctly that many U.S. auto firms manufacture cars in Canada, although Trump said ‘we don’t need the cars.’
The loss of trade with the U.S. could throw Canada’s economy into a tailspin, which is why PM Justin Trudeau rushed down to Mar-a-Lago when Trump made comments after the November elections about slapping big tariffs on the country.
‘Don’t forget, we basically protect Canada. But here’s the problem with Canada. So many friends up there. I love the Canadian people. They’re great, but we’re spending hundreds of billions a year to protect it. We’re spending hundreds of billions a year to take care of Canada. We lose in trade deficits. We’re losing mass – we don’t need their cars,’ Trump said.
‘You know, they make 20 percent of our cars. We don’t need that. I’d rather make them in Detroit. We don’t need the cars. We don’t need their lumber. We have massive fields of lumber. We don’t need their lumber … We don’t need anything they have. We don’t need their dairy products, we have more than they have. We don’t need anything. So why are we losing $200 billion a year and more to protect Canada? And I said that to as I called him, Governor Trudeau (referring to the Canadian Prime Minister).’
Donald Trump said he would apply ‘economic force’ to get Canada to become a U.S. state
‘I said, Listen, what would happen if we didn’t subsidize you? Because we give them a lot of money, we help them. As an example, we’re buying icebreakers, and Canada wants to join us in the buying of icebreakers. I said, you know, we don’t really want to have a partner in the buying of icebreakers. We don’t need a partner.
‘We have a right not to help them with their financial difficulties,’ Trump continued.
‘Why are we supporting a country $200 billion plus a year our military is at their disposal, all of these other things. They should be a state,’ he said.
Canada describes the relationship differently, calling it a security ‘partnership’ that it says makes both countries safer. ‘Our two countries share a deep and longstanding defence and national security partnership, providing both countries with greater security than could be achieved individually,’ according to a government fact sheet.
Trump spoke shortly after PM Justin Trudeau announced he would step down as prime minister
Three-time Stanley Cup champion Wayne Gretzky speaks during a state funeral of late former Canadian Prime Minister Brian Mulroney at Notre-Dame Basilica in Montreal
Trump spoke shortly after PM Justin Trudeau announced he would step down as prime minister once his Liberal party chooses a new leader.
Then he talked up hockey legend Wayne Gretzky as leader.
‘I have some many great friends,’ he said. ‘One of them is the ”Great One.” I said, ”Run for Prime Minister, you’ll win… It will take two seconds.”
‘He said, ”Well, am I gonna run for Prime Minister or Governor? You tell me,”’ Trump continued.
‘I said: ”I don’t know, let’s make it Governor. I like that better.”
U.S. exports to Canada were $428 billion in 2022, and imports were $481 billion, according to the U.S. Trade Representative’s office.
‘President-elect Trump’s comments show a complete lack of understanding of what makes Canada a strong country,’ posted Canada’s foreign affairs minister Mélanie Joly. ‘Our economy is strong. Our people are strong. We will never back down in the face of threats.’
