Canada’s outgoing Prime Minister Justin Trudeau suggested that President-elect Trump's suggestion that Canada become America's "51st state" was a distraction from the tariff threat.
"I know that as a successful negotiator, he likes to keep people a little off balance. The 51st state, that’s not going to happen," Trudeau told MSNBC’s "Inside with Jen Psaki" on Sunday. "It’s just a non-starter. Canadians are incredibly proud of being Canadian. But people are now talking about that, as opposed to talking about what impact 25% tariffs [has] on steel and aluminum coming into the United States, on energy, whether it's oil and gas or electricity."
"No American wants to pay 25% more for electricity or oil and gas coming in from Canada," Trudeau said in the interview with Psaki, President Biden’s former White House press secretary. "That’s something I think people need to pay a little more attention to. And perhaps the idea of a 51st state is distracting a little bit from a very real question that will increase the cost of living for Americans and harm a trading relationship that works extremely well."
Trump has threatened to impose 25% tariffs on all Canadian imports. The president-elect also said that if Canada merged with the U.S., taxes would decrease and there would be no tariffs.
The president-elect has also taken shots at Trudeau, referring to him as the "governor" of Canada. Last Monday, Trudeau announced that he would resign as Canada's prime minister once his Liberal Party chooses a new leader on March 9.
"From my very first conversations with him back in 2016, he told me how much he admires Canada, how much he appreciates and likes us, so there is a certain amount of flattery in this that he thinks that we are as great as we are," Trudeau said of Trump on Sunday. "He’s right, we are great. We’re also very, very proud of being Canadian. If you talk to any Canadian, you ask them to define what it is to be Canadian, they’ll talk about all sorts of different things, but one of the things we will point out is, ‘and we’re not Americans.’"
On Trudeau’s trip to Mar-a-Lago in November, the Canadian prime minister said the topic of the U.S. annexing Canada did come up, but Trudeau said once he joked that Canada could annex Vermont or California as a sort of trade, Trump "immediately decided it was not that funny anymore, and we moved on to a different conversation."
"This isn’t out of the blue that he’s doing this, but my focus has to be not on something that he’s talking about that will not ever happen, but more on something that might well happen, that if he does choose to go forward with tariffs that raise the costs of just about everything for American citizens, that on top of that, we’re going to have a robust response to that," Trudeau said.
"We are ready to respond with tariffs as necessary," Trudeau said.
Canadian officials say that if Trump follows through with his threat of punishing tariffs, Canada would consider slapping retaliatory tariffs on American orange juice, toilets and some steel products.
MAGAFEST DESTINY? TRUMP FLEXES HIS MUSCLES WITH REPEATED TALK OF AMERICAN EXPANSIONISM
Trudeau recalled that Trump previously put tariffs on imports of steel and aluminum during his first term, and Canada responded by putting tariffs on bourbon, Harley Davidson motorcycles, orange juice, playing cards and other such items that Trudeau argued Canadians could easily find replacements for.
"It ended up causing a lot of loss in American businesses for whom Canada is their number one export partner. We are the number one export partner for about 35 different U.S. states, and anything that thickens the border between us ends up costing American citizens and American jobs. That’s not what President Trump got elected to do," Trudeau said. "I know he got elected to try and make life easier for all Americans, to support American workers. These are things that are going to hurt them."
Trump said last week that the U.S. does not need oil – or anything else – from Canada, but almost a quarter of the oil that the U.S. consumes each day comes from Canada. The energy-rich western province of Alberta exports 4.3 million barrels of oil a day to the U.S., according to the Associated Press. Data from the United States Energy Information Administration shows that the U.S. consumes 20 million barrels a day, and produces about 13.2 million barrels a day.
Canada, a founding partner of NATO and home to more than 40 million people, is also the top export destination for 36 U.S. states. Nearly $2.7 billion worth of goods and services cross the border each day.
Trump has said that he would reconsider his tariff threat if Canada made improvements in managing security at the Canada-U.S. border, which he and his advisers see as a potential entry point for illegal immigrants.
Trudeau has said that less than 1% of illegal immigrants and fentanyl cross into the U.S. from Canada.
Nevertheless, after his meeting with Trump at Mar-a-Lago, Trudeau announced an increase in spending on border security, expressing willingness to address Trump’s concerns in hopes that he would reconsider his tariff threat.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
President-elect Donald Trump not only wants to make America great again, he appears to be angling to make America bigger.
Trump has turned up the volume in recent days on his calls to acquire Greenland, regain control of the Panama Canal and make Canada the nation's 51st state.
The president-elect on Tuesday night once again trolled America's neighbor to the north, posting on social media two doctored maps that showed Canada as part of the United States.
"Canada and the United States. That would really be something," Trump said hours earlier at a news conference at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Palm Beach, Florida. "They should be a state."
WOULD CANADA BECOME A ‘BLUE-STATE BEHEMOTH’ IF IT JOINED THE U.S.?
A day earlier, the president-elect argued in a social media post that "many people in Canada LOVE being the 51st State."
While he said he would only use "economic force" to convince Canadians to join the U.S., he would not rule out military force when it comes to Greenland, the massive ice-capped island in the North Atlantic and Arctic oceans that for centuries has been controlled by Denmark, and the Panama Canal, which the U.S. ceeded control of to Panama over 40 years ago.
TRUMP POSTS MAPS OF A GREATER U.S.
"They should give it up because we need it for national security. That’s for the free world. I’m talking about protecting the free world," Trump said of his longtime ambitions to acquire Greenland.
His comments came as Donald Trump Jr., the president-elect's eldest son, made a day trip to Greenland, flying aboard Trump's campaign airliner.
Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen responded, saying Greenland had made it clear that it is not for sale.
"There is a lot of support among the people of Greenland that Greenland is not for sale and will not be in the future either," Frederiksen said.
Pierre Poilievre, leader of Canada’s Conservative Party, also shot back at Trump's musings.
"Canada will never be the 51st state. Period. We are a great and independent country," he emphasized in a social media post.
Additionally, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau also returned fire at Trump's threat to use "economic force" to absorb Canada, saying there is not "a snowball's chance in hell" of Canada becoming the 51st state.
Trump's recent mocking of the longtime Canadian prime minister, repeatedly referring to him as "governor" along with his threat to impose massive tariffs on Canada, was likely a contributing factor in Trudeau's resignation announcement earlier this week.
It was not just Canada, Greenland and the Panama Canal.
Trump even pledged during his press conference to change the name of the Gulf of Mexico to the "Gulf of America."
While Trump's efforts at American expansion - which has a prominent place in the nation's history - may never come to fruition, they are immediately forcing world leaders to react and respond, and likely will foreshadow the blunt effect his second administration will have on the globe.
"I think what he's doing is setting the tone for the next four years, which is that America is the dominant superpower in the world. We're the protector of freedom and democracy across the world. We're the only country capable of pushing back against China, and it's time we started acting like we're that country," veteran Republican strategist and communicator Ryan Williams told Fox News.
Matt Mowers, a veteran GOP national public affairs strategist and former diplomat at the State Department during Trump's first administration, emphasized that "Donald Trump has adapted Teddy Roosevelt’s mantra for the 21st century and ‘speaks loudly and carries a big stick’. He recognizes that to change the paradigm and repel Chinese and Russian economic expansion in our own hemisphere, he needs to speak boldly about exerting American influence in the region."
"Already, you have seen just how his mastery of the bully pulpit has expedited a political earthquake in Canada. This ensures that America remains dominant in our own backyard, which puts America’s interests first, expanding our trade and security cooperation," Mowers argued.
Not everyone obviously agrees with Trump's muscular approach.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken, America's top diplomat in President Biden's administration, appeared to take aim at the president-elect.
"I think one of the basic propositions we brought to our work over the last four years is that we're stronger, we're more effective, we get better results when we're working closely with our allies. Not saying or doing things that may alienate them," Blinken said Wednesday at a news conference.
Blinken predicted that "the idea expressed about Greenland is obviously not a good one. But maybe more important, it's obviously one that's not going to happen. So we probably shouldn't waste a lot of time talking about it."
The Democratic National Committee accused Trump of having a "pathetic Napoleon complex" which it claimed "has left him more focused on invading Greenland than on lowering costs and growing the economy for the American people."
"While Trump is distracted by bizarre threats against our allies and busy doling out favors to his billionaire Cabinet picks, Democrats are focused on standing up for working families and making sure they don't get stuck with the bill from Trump's reckless agenda," DNC spokesperson Alex Floyd charged.
President-elect Donald Trump is keeping up his push to make Canada the United States' 51st state.
"Canada and the United States. That would really be something," Trump said Tuesday at a news conference at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Palm Beach, Florida. "They should be a state."
Trump highlighted that if Canada were to join the U.S., it wouldn't be by using military force but instead through "economic force."
A day earlier, the president-elect argued in a social media post that "many people in Canada LOVE being the 51st State."
Trump emphasized that "if Canada merged with the U.S., there would be no Tariffs, taxes would go way down, and they would be TOTALLY SECURE from the threat of the Russian and Chinese Ships that are constantly surrounding them. Together, what a great Nation it would be!!!"
WHAT TRUMP IS SAYING ABOUT CANADA BECOMING THE 51ST STATE
In recent weeks, the former and now president-elect has trolled the United States' neighbor to the north, musing about it becoming the 51st state, and posting a doctored photo of him standing beside a Canadian flag high atop a mountain.
Additionally, his recent mocking of longtime Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau, repeatedly referring to him as "governor," along with his threat to impose massive tariffs on Canada, was likely a contributing factor in Trudeau's resignation announcement this week.
Trump's fixation on Canada comes as he also turns up the volume on his calls for Denmark to sell the sparsely populated but massive North Atlantic island of Greenland to the U.S.
However, what if the unlikely expansionist scenario of Canada joining the U.S. actually came to fruition?
Hypothetically, it could be a massive political boon for Democrats at the expense of Republicans.
Canada's modern political history points to the left.
"The Liberals have been in charge of the Canadian federal government for the majority of the time since World War Two," longtime Republican strategist Dave Carney noted to Fox News.
It is likely the voters supporting those governments would vote for Democrats rather than Republicans if Canada became the 51st state.
With a population of slightly more than 40 million, Canada would become the most populous state in the U.S., edging out blue-state California for the honors.
Canada's addition to the U.S. as the nation's largest state could give a big boost to the Democrats in the battle for Congressional majorities and the electoral vote count in presidential elections.
Rich Lowry, editor-in-chief of the prominent conservative magazine National Review, warned in an opinion piece for the New York Post that "Canada would be a blue-state behemoth, matching California in population…and, presumably, in reliably Democratic politics."
"We might think we’d annex Canada and make it more like us, but — with two Democratic senators and a huge tranche of electoral votes for Democratic presidential candidates — Canada would surely make us more like it," Lowry predicted.
Veteran political scientist Wayne Lesperance agreed, noting that "Canada as a state would bring millions of voters more likely to align with the Democrats' agenda and ideology. And with 40 million voters, the new 51st state would be the largest state in the union with a congressional delegation much more likely to oppose Trump and his party's political agenda."
Lesperance, president of the New Hampshire-based New England College, said if Trump "is serious, and does bring a proposal forward, I would expect tremendous support for his initiative…especially from Democrats."
Democratic strategist and political analyst Van Jones, on CNN, said that Canada would "be a huge blue state" and that "if Canada wants to come here and rescue us, I am more than happy."
However, Carney, noting that the likelihood of Canada joining the U.S. is extremely slim, said that it is a great negotiating strategy by Trump when it comes to negotiations with America's northern neighbor.
"He has an ability to use tools that no one would have ever thought of," Carney said. "He has the ability and the willingness to use every tool in his toolbox."
Carney, the top political adviser to Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, a veteran of numerous Republican presidential campaigns, added that Trump "uses the soft power of the presidency to get people to pay attention and get what he wants."
A former top adviser to Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau gave a grim outlook on the world leader’s political future, days after U.S. President-elect Donald Trump floated NHL legend Wayne Gretzky as a possible replacement.
A countdown started earlier this month on Trudeau’s days in office after Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland resigned from his cabinet. On Friday, Trudeau’s former chief adviser Gerry Butts thought it was "unlikely" that Trudeau would lead the Liberal Party in the next election.
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Butts wrote in a Substack newsletter that Freeland’s resignation was a big blow for the party, and it could mean that Trudeau's political fate is sealed.
"If, as is now widely expected, Mr. Trudeau's resignation is imminent, the only way forward is a real leadership race," Butts wrote, via The Canadian Press.
"If you want to know who can play hockey, put on a hockey game. It doesn't matter who you think you support at this moment, we'll all have a more seasoned view if we see these people in live action."
Butts served as Trudeau’s principal secretary when he won election in 2015. His strong words came days after Trump teased Canada over its political turmoil, even floating Gretzky as a possible replacement for Trudeau.
"I just left Wayne Gretzky, ‘The Great One as he is known in Ice Hockey circles. I said, ‘Wayne, why don’t you run for Prime Minister of Canada, soon to be known as the Governor of Canada - You would win easily, you wouldn’t even have to campaign,’" Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social.
WAYNE GRETZKY'S WIFE SHARES TRUMP POST FLOATING NHL LEGEND AS CANADIAN PRIME MINISTER
"He had no interest, but I think the people of Canada should start a DRAFT WAYNE GRETZKY Movement. It would be so much fun to watch!"
Since Freeland’s resignation, Trudeau has faced calls to resign. Trump weighed in on Freeland’s departure as well.
"The Great State of Canada is stunned as the Finance Minister resigns, or was fired, from her position by Governor Justin Trudeau," Trump posted to his Truth Social, trolling Trudeau, after previously suggesting Canada should become the 51st state in the U.S.
"Her behavior was totally toxic, and not at all conducive to making deals which are good for the very unhappy citizens of Canada. She will not be missed!!!"
The House of Commons Public Accounts Committee chair John Williamson said that lawmakers will start meetings on Jan. 7 to consider a vote of no confidence in the Liberal government, according to Reuters. The vote would have to pass the House of Commons to defeat the government.
Canadian Parliament will reconvene on Jan. 27, according to Reuters.
"It is now clear that the Liberal Government does not have the confidence of Parliament. Conservative, Bloc Quebecois and NDP members — representing a majority of MPs - have all announced they will vote non-confidence in the Liberal Government," Williamson wrote in his letter.
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President-elect Trump floated NHL legend Wayne Gretzky as a potential candidate to replace Justin Trudeau as Canada’s prime minister in a social media post on Wednesday.
And it appeared Janet Gretzky – Wayne’s wife – got the message.
Janet Gretzky shared Trump’s Truth Social post on her Instagram Stories and posted the link.
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"I just left Wayne Gretzky, ‘The Great One as he is known in Ice Hockey circles. I said, ‘Wayne, why don’t you run for Prime Minister of Canada, soon to be known as the Governor of Canada – You would win easily, you wouldn’t even have to campaign,’" Trump wrote.
"He had no interest, but I think the people of Canada should start a DRAFT WAYNE GRETZKY Movement. It would be so much fun to watch!"
Trump’s post came as Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has faced pressure to step down. Earlier this month, Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland resigned from Trudeau's cabinet. At the same time, opposition leader Jagmeet Singh called on Trudeau to resign.
The main opposition Conservatives have demanded an election.
OLYMPIC SNOWBOARDER SOPHIE HEDIGER, 26, DIES IN AVALANCHE IN SWITZERLAND
Trump also weighed in after Freeland resigned.
"The Great State of Canada is stunned as the Finance Minister resigns, or was fired, from her position by Governor Justin Trudeau," Trump posted to his Truth Social, trolling Trudeau, after previously suggesting Canada should become the 51st state in the USA.
"Her behavior was totally toxic, and not at all conducive to making deals which are good for the very unhappy citizens of Canada. She will not be missed!!!"
Trump has also teased Canadians about adding the country as the 51st U.S. state.
"The Great One" appeared to support Trump amid his election win over Vice President Kamala Harris.
He was seen last month at Trump's Mar-a-Lago residence in Palm Beach, Florida, after Trump’s presidential election win, wearing a "Make America Great Again" cap.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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President-elect Trump is in Europe this weekend for his first overseas trip since his convincing victory in last month's presidential election.
Trump will meet with Emmanuel Macron after the French president invited him to attend Saturday's star-studded VIP event for the official reopening of the newly restored Notre Dame Cathedral, five years after a devastating fire wrecked the centuries-old Paris landmark.
First Lady Jill Biden will also attend the ceremonies, but it's Trump who will be holding court with world leaders.
The president-elect's appearance will serve as Trump's unofficial return to the global stage, and it is another reminder that he is quickly becoming the center of the world's attention.
TRUMP RETURNING TO EUROPE FOR FIRST TIME SINCE ELECTION
"This is without question a major moment in French history and the fact that Macron wanted to share it with Trump speaks to the significance of what Trump is achieving even before he gets to the Oval Office again, said Brett Bruen, a public affairs and strategic communications veteran, and former U.S. diplomat who served under both Democratic and Republican administrations.
"He is being feted quite literally in Paris with all the glitz and glamour," Bruen, president of the Global Situation Room, added.
WHY BIDEN'S PARDON OF HIS SON HUNTER IS A POLITICAL GIFT FOR TRUMP
And Bruen and other analysts give credit to Macron for inviting Trump to this weekend's festivities.
"This is a really smart move by Macron to get things rolling in the right direction when it comes to U.S.-French relations under Trump," he said. "But let's also not forget the fact that Macron is both badly weakened in his own country and on the European continent…[Macron] may see in Trump an opportunity to restore his lost luster as the European leader who can most effectively engage with the new American president."
Trump has taken a slew of calls in the weeks since the November election from international leaders congratulating him on his White House victory.
The trip to Paris comes a week after Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau hastily made an unannounced stop in Mar-a-Lago to dine with Trump after the president-elect threatened a trade war with Canada and Mexico.
DEMOCRATIC GOVERNORS SAY THEY'RE THE ‘LAST LINE OF DEFENSE’ AGAINST TRUMP
Trump argued that Canada had failed to prevent large amounts of drugs and undocumented people from crossing the northern border into the U.S. and also pointed to America's massive trade deficit with Canada.
According to reporting from Fox News' Bret Baier, Trump suggested to Trudeau that Canada could become the 51st state.
Trump has also weighed in recently on a number of international conflicts. In the volatile Middle East, the president-elect warned this week in a social media post that there would be "ALL HELL TO PAY" if Hamas does not release all the hostages held in Gaza before he is inaugurated on Jan. 20.
News of Trump's invitation to Paris came earlier this week as President Biden was on a history-making trip to Angola, as he became the first American president to visit the sub-Saharan African nation.
But Biden, likely on his last overseas trip before Trump takes over in the White House next month, is already being overshadowed on the world stage by his predecessor and successor.
"While President-elect [Trump] is still weeks away from taking the oath of office, loyalties and the attention of world leaders has shifted to the incoming President and from Washington to Mar-a-lago with breathtaking speed," Wayne Lesperance, a veteran political scientist and president of New England College, told Fox News.
Matt Mowers, a veteran GOP national public affairs strategist and former diplomat at the State Department during Trump's first administration, made the case that "Biden’s essentially been a lame duck" for months and that "world leaders have been shifting their gaze to the next administration.
While members of the Biden White House would likely disagree with such sentiments - especially after the current administration played a large role in hammering out the cease-fire that halted fighting in Lebanon between Israel and Hezbollah - it is undeniable that world leaders have already started to engage directly with the incoming president and administration.
While the spotlight traditionally shifts from the outgoing to the incoming president, Mowers argued that "it is more pronounced this time because the difference in the Biden and Trump approach to foreign policy is so different."
Mowers emphasized that Trump is already aiming "to shape world events" by "being bold, not timid, in the statements he’s putting out, and the world is already reacting to that kind of American strength."
"World leaders that want to get something done… have to engage with Trump," he added.
Matthew Bartlett, a Republican strategist who served at the State Department during Trump's first term, told Fox News that "the world is demanding leadership" and that "the Oval Office has been replaced by Mar-a-Lago."
Lesperance, pointing to Biden's swing through Africa, noted that lame duck presidents' final weeks are "usually filled with celebratory moments and efforts to cement one’s legacy. Often the focus is on their role on the world stage on behalf of America and its allies.'
However, he argued that "Biden’s pronouncements on Ukraine, Gaza and the importance of climate change go largely ignored by world leaders. Instead, they focus on Trump’s picks for his foreign policy team and pronouncements about changes in U.S. foreign policy position. It’s pretty evident that while Biden attempts a victory tour, the world has turned the page."
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