Trump pushes for Canada to become 51st state of US after Trudeau resigns

President-elect Donald Trump on January 6 repeated his controversial suggestion that Canada should become the 51st state of the United States, mere hours after Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced his resignation.

“Many people in Canada love being the 51st State. The United States can no longer suffer the massive trade deficits and subsidies that Canada needs to stay afloat,” Trump stated, Caliber.Az reports via foreign media.

According to Trump, Justin Trudeau knew this, and resigned.

He went on to add, “If Canada merged with the US, there would be no tariffs, taxes would go way down, and they would be totally secure from the threat of Russian and Chinese ships constantly surrounding them. Together, what a great Nation it would be!”

According to sources cited by Fox News, Trump first proposed the idea of merging Canada with the US during a meeting with Trudeau at Mar-a-Lago in late November. The Canadian prime minister had reportedly travelled to Trump’s Florida estate unannounced in response to threats of sweeping tariffs on Canadian products.

At the time, Trump had warned of imposing a 25% tariff on goods from Canada and Mexico, criticizing both countries for their perceived failures to address illegal immigration and the flow of illicit drugs into the United States.

“We discussed many important topics that will require both countries to work together to address,” Trump wrote on Truth Social after the meeting. “These include the fentanyl and drug crisis that has devastated so many lives due to illegal immigration, fair trade deals that do not harm American workers, and the massive trade deficit the US has with Canada.”

Earlier on January 6, Trudeau announced his resignation as prime minister and leader of the Liberal Party, delivering a speech that acknowledged his diminished political standing.

“I intend to resign as party leader and as prime minister after the party selects its next leader through a robust nationwide competitive process,” Trudeau declared during his morning address. “Last night, I asked the president of the Liberal Party to begin that process. This country deserves a real choice in the next election, and it has become clear to me that if I’m having to fight internal battles, I cannot be the best option in that election.”

Trudeau, who has led Canada for nearly a decade, has faced months of declining approval ratings amid public dissatisfaction with rising inflation and the soaring cost of living.

The prime minister’s decision to step down follows growing calls for his resignation, including from at least seven Liberal MPs and opposition leaders, as well as the unexpected departure of Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland.

Freeland’s resignation letter was critical of Trudeau’s economic policies and expressed concerns about Trump’s tariff threats.

By Aghakazim Guliyev