US President Donald Trump Reiterates Desire to Make Canada 51st State
US President Donald Trump has once again expressed his intention to make Canada the United States’ 51st state, arguing that the neighboring country is “totally reliant” on the US and would benefit from such a move.
Speaking aboard Air Force One on Saturday, Trump accused Canada of taking advantage of the US for years. He stated, “Without our subsidy, Canada doesn’t exist really. Canada is totally reliant on us, therefore they should be a state.” The US president also claimed that the US has been losing $250 billion annually to Canada in trade deficits while Canada conducts almost 90% of its business with the US.
Trump suggested that by becoming part of the US, Canadians would enjoy lower taxes, better healthcare, and enhanced security. He said, “If it is a state, the people of Canada would pay a much lower tax… They’ll get much better treatment, much better care… They wouldn’t have any military problems and they’d be much more secure in every way.”
This isn’t the first time Trump has floated the idea of making Canada a US state. In the run-up to his inauguration earlier this month, he made similar remarks, which were dismissed by Ottawa.
Trump also threatened to impose 25% tariffs on Canadian goods as a measure to strengthen US-Canada trade relations.