Trump Pushes For Canada To Become 51st State Amidst Tariff Discussions
In an interview with Fox News on Sunday, U.S. President Donald Trump reiterated his desire to make Canada part of the United States.
Just hours before the Super Bowl kicked off in New Orleans, Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One that he intends to announce 25 per cent tariffs on all steel and aluminum imports on Monday, including for Canada and Mexico.
Following dinner with French President Emmanuel Macron in Paris, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau did not answer questions from reporters about the tariffs and whether Canada would retaliate.
Ontario Progressive Conservative leader Doug Ford expressed his views on the social media platform X, stating, "shifting goalposts and constant chaos" will be hallmarks of Trump's second administration. "This is the next four years," Ford wrote.
Bloc Québécois leader Yves-François Blanchet commented in French that Trump's tariffs would expose U.S. industries to serious inflation and encouraged him to negotiate.
Trump imposed steel and aluminum tariffs at 25 and 10 per cent respectively during his first term in March 2018, justifying it on national security grounds. Initially, Canada was granted an exemption, but this changed, leading to tariffs being imposed on May 31, 2018. In response, Canada implemented a series of counter-tariffs on American products like Florida orange juice.
Nearly a year later, on May 17, 2019, the White House announced a deal had been reached to prevent "surges" in the steel and aluminum supplies from Canada and Mexico, thus ending the trade dispute.
During the Fox News interview, Trump stated, "I think Canada would be much better off being the 51st state because we lose $200 billion a year with Canada," reflecting his ongoing perspective on the trade relationship.
With files from The Associated Press and The Canadian Press.
More to come.
