Donald Trump reportedly floated the idea of Canada becoming America’s 51st state in a conversation with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
The President-elect spoke with Trudeau after threatening to implement 25% trade tariffs on both Canada and Mexican as part of his administration’s efforts to curb illegal immigration and the flow of illicit drugs. The Canadian Prime Minister subsequently flew to Mar-a-Lago, a meeting which Fox News reported to be “very productive” – echoing a drastic pledge by Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum to tackle border crossings after she spoke with Trump.
Trump reportedly expressed frustration over the $100 billion trade deficit between Canada and the U.S, threatening to slap the tariff on Canadian goods from day one of his presidency. Trudeau complained to Trump he can’t implement such a tariff because it would kill the Canadian economy completely. To that Trump fired back asking “so your country can’t survive unless it’s ripping off the U.S. to the tune of $100 billion? – and hilarious floated the idea of Canada becoming the 51st state of the U.S if there economy was to fail, which prompted Trudeau to laugh nervously.
The meeting was reportedly amicable and “very friendly,” but also emphasized a new relationship between the United States and Canada come January 20.
Many on social media recognized the light-heartedness of the proposal.
Others were more intrigued by the idea.
