Trump taunts Trudeau again, says Canada should be a US state

Donald Trump threw a fresh taunt at Canada as Prime Minister Justin Trudeau tries to weather a crisis sparked by the sudden departure of a minister who was a bulwark against the US president-elect’s plan to start trade wars with his neighbours.

“No one can answer why we subsidise Canada to the tune of over $100,000,000 a year? Makes no sense!” Trump said in a post early Wednesday on Truth Social. “Many Canadians want Canada to become the 51st State. They would save massively on taxes and military protection. I think it is a great idea. 51st State!!!”

Trump has been joking that Canada could always become the US’s 51st state – and Trudeau its governor – ever since the Canadian leader rushed out to see him at his Mar-a-Lago resort. But the lighthearted comments seemingly made in jest over a Thanksgiving dinner have taken a more sinister undertone with Trudeau now fighting for his political survival.

It is unclear why Trump cited the figure of US$100 million and he has used US$100 billion in the past.

The US goods trade deficit with Canada through October was US$50.5 billion and the gap for all of 2023 was US$64.3 billion, according to Census data. In a 2018 post on the social media platform known as Twitter at the time, he complained about how Canada makes “almost $100 Billion Dollars in Trade with US”.

In Ottawa on Tuesday, Trudeau tried to downplay the most serious challenge yet facing his leadership. “Like most families, sometimes we have fights around the holidays,” he told a gathering for his Liberal Party’s 153 lawmakers and their staffers.