Trump: If Canada can’t handle tariffs, it could become a US state!
According to the New York Post, US President-elect Donald Trump made a strange offer during a meeting with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida in response to the Canadian prime minister’s request to waive tariffs on the country.
After his inauguration, the 78-year-old Trump, who will officially return to the White House on January 20, 2025, made the offer during a three-hour dinner with Trudeau. The meeting occurred immediately after Trump announced his decision to impose a 25% tariff on Canadian imports.
According to Fox News, Trudeau, 52, urged Trump not to impose tariffs on Canada because, according to him, it would “kill” the country’s economy.
Trump responded by referring to the US trade deficit with Canada, “So your country can’t survive without taking $100 billion from the US?”
He went on to joke that “Canada could be the 51st state of the United States and Trudeau could be its governor!”
According to Fox News, Trudeau and others at the dinner table laughed at the joke with “anxiety and embarrassment”!
Trump said last month that he would impose tariffs on Canadian imports if Canada failed to curb illegal immigration and drug trafficking.