Does Donald Trump’s plans for his second term include an American conquest of Canada? Probably not. But according to one report, when Trump met this week with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, the subject was at least broached.
Following Trump’s threats to place 25 percent tariffs on goods from Canada and Mexico, he met with Trudeau this week at Mar-a-Lago. According to a Fox News report, Trump characterized his meeting with the Canadian premier as “very productive.”
But according to reporter Peter Doocey, who was citing people who were “at the table” with the two leaders, Trudeau stated that such tariffs would “kill the Canadian economy.”
🔥 PETER DOOCY: “Tonight, we’re getting new details about that Trump-Trudeau dinner from two people who were at the table. We are told that when @JustinTrudeau told President-elect Trump that new tarrifs would kill the Canadian economy, Trump joked to him that if Canada can’t… pic.twitter.com/eAYNJL6SCq
— TV News Now (@TVNewsNow) December 2, 2024
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What came next was, “Trump then suggested to Trudeau that Canada become the 51st state.” Reporting about this has been characterized as a joke, although the Fox story also said that it led Trudeau and others at the table to “laugh nervously.”
Also, per Fox, “someone at the table chimed in and advised Trump that Canada would be a very liberal state, which received even more laughter.”
Also, according to the Associated Press, Trudeau told Trump that the situation on Canada’s border with the United States is not comparable to that of Mexico.
“The message that our border is so vastly different than the Mexican border was really understood,” Canada’s ambassador to the U.S., Kirsten Hillman, said after the meeting.
“Also with respect to individuals, illegal individuals crossing illegally, Canada last year was less than one percent, 0.6 percent were of total interceptions from Canada,” Hillman added.
Other have noted that Trump seems to lack much understanding of how trade deficits work:
Trump doesn’t get it (at all)
A system that prioritizes an ever-increasing trade deficit, in exchange for capital inflows that exclusively enrich the top 1%, cannot continue indefinitely.
The dollar has Dutch Disease.Short primer:
As the US imports more than they export, this… https://t.co/5jdj9nL9nw pic.twitter.com/rs25mToXUq— infra 🏛️⌛️ (@infraa_) December 1, 2024
Canada is scheduled to hold an election at some point in 2025, most likely in October, although under the country’s parliamentary system of government, the election could come earlier.
Photo courtesy of Political Tribune media library.
