President-elect Trump envisions a unified North America, suggesting Canada join the US as its 51st state.
Following Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s resignation from his party leadership due to internal strife, US President-elect Donald Trump proposed Canada’s integration into the United States as the 51st state. Trudeau will remain as caretaker prime minister until a new party leader is chosen before the October election.
Trump, using his Truth Social platform, asserted that many Canadians favor statehood, claiming that such a move would resolve trade imbalances and subsidies. He suggested Trudeau’s resignation stemmed from this understanding.
Trump further argued that a US-Canada merger would eliminate tariffs, lower taxes for Canadians, and provide enhanced security against perceived threats from Russia and China. He proclaimed this union would create a “great Nation.”
Trudeau’s resignation appears partly influenced by Trump’s threatened 25% tariff on goods from Canada and Mexico. The president-elect accused both countries of facilitating illegal immigration, crime, and drug trafficking, while simultaneously benefiting from unfair trade surpluses. This tariff threat also led to the resignation of Trudeau’s deputy, Chrystia Freeland, exacerbating internal divisions within the Liberal Party.
Following a December meeting at Mar-a-Lago, where Trump jokingly referred to Trudeau as “governor” and suggested Canadian statehood, Trump has repeatedly raised the prospect of a unified North America. He even speculated about dividing Canada into two states based on political ideology and expressed interest in acquiring Greenland.
While Canada’s government largely dismissed Trump’s proposals, some, like investor Kevin O’Leary, believe a significant portion of the Canadian population would support unification.
Trump’s statement on Canada followed the US Congress’s certification of the 2024 presidential election results, confirming his upcoming inauguration in two weeks.