Trudeau Shuts Down Trump’s '51st State' Dream: Canada Won’t Join the U.S

New Delhi (The Uttam Hindu): The idea of merging Canada with the United States a long-standing wish of newly elected U.S. President Donald Trump has been firmly rejected. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau made it clear that such a move will never happen. Taking to social media platform X, Trudeau posted, "There is no possibility that Canada will be a part of the United States."

This statement came after Trump, when asked by reporters whether he would use military force to merge Canada with the U.S., replied, "No economic power. Because Canada and America will do something big together." A few hours later Trudeau responded on Instagram firmly stating that this would not occur. He emphasized that both nations benefit greatly from their close trade and security relationship and their people thrive as the largest partners in these areas.

Trump's interest in integrating Canada with the U.S. is not a recent development. He has been discussing the possibility of making Canada the 51st state for some time. Trump has also expressed concern over the trade surplus Canada has with the U.S. stating that the border between the two countries is merely an "artificial line." He suggested that U.S. national security could be enhanced by eliminating this border claiming that America protects Canada and subsidizes it to the tune of $200 billion annually.

In 2023, the U.S. recorded a $40.6 billion trade deficit with Canada in terms of goods and services. Trump also noted that the U.S. imports over 4 million barrels of crude oil from Canada daily and threatened a 25 percent tariff on Canadian imports. However, Canada’s Foreign Minister has made it clear that the country will not be intimidated by such threat.