20/12/2024
US President-elect Donald Trump has joked that “many Canadians” welcome the idea of Canada becoming the 51st US state, amid political turmoil in Ottawa.
“They would save massively on taxes and military protection,” Trump posted on his Truth Social platform on Wednesday. “I think it is a great idea. 51st State!!!”
It’s not the first time US President-elect Donald Trump quipped about Canada becoming America’s 51st state.
He made the same comment to Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in late November, repeatedly calling him on social media the “governor” of Canada – a title used for the head of a US state.
A survey of public opinion from marketing firm Leger in early December found that only 13% of Canadians would want the country to become the 51st US state. A full 82 per cent of respondents said they were opposed to the idea.
Many didn’t find his comments funny. Ontario Premier Doug Ford told CTV News that Canada “will never be the 51st state,” while Max Cameron, politics professor at the University of British Columbia, called Trump’s teasing “part of a pattern of bullying” in negotiations.
The jabs came amid political uncertainty in Ottawa with the resignation of Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland this week, which has spurred calls for Trudeau to quit.
Relations between the two countries remain tense after Trump threatened to impose 25 percent tariffs on Canadian goods and accused the government of failing to address trade and immigration issues.
