Donald
Trump said the US protects Canada, faces trade deficits, and doesn’t receive
Canadian cars or farm products, so won’t take theirs in return.
US
President-elect Donald Trump proposed using “economic force” to pressure Canada
into becoming the 51st state, citing concerns over US military assistance and
trade imbalances. He reiterated that he
intends to put “substantial” tariffs on goods from Canada and Mexico.
Donald
Trump added that the US absorbing Canada “would really be something",
addressing his concerns over US military assistance and trade deficits with its
northern neighbour.
“We’ve been good neighbours, but we can’t do
it forever,” Trump said.
When asked
if he could rule out a military confrontation to secure US control over
Greenland or the Panama Canal, Donald Trump said he was “not going to commit to
that".
“I can’t
assure you on either of those two, but I can say this, we need them for
economic security,” Trump said at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida.
In response to
Trump's suggestion, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau wrote on X, “There
isn't a snowball's chance in hell that Canada would become part of the United
States.”