President-elect Donald Trump yet again poked fun at Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau after jokingly suggesting that his country become the 51st state of the United States.
“It was a pleasure to have dinner the other night with Governor Justin Trudeau of the Great State of Canada,” Trump wrote on Truth Social Monday night. “I look forward to seeing the Governor again soon so that we may continue our in-depth talks on Tariffs and Trade, the results of which will be truly spectacular for all!”
The former president is reported to have joked about Canada becoming the 51st state during a dinner with Trudeau last month. It came after Trudeau said during the dinner that Canada would be left devastated by Trump’s suggested tariff policies.
“Your country can’t survive unless it’s ripping off the U.S. to the tune of $100 billion?” Trump asked, according to Fox News. “Maybe Canada should just become the 51st state.”
Trump is also reported to have said that Trudeau could remain as leader of the new state by becoming governor.
The former president appeared to confirm the report when he posted a seemingly AI-generated image of himself with the Canadian flag with the caption “Oh, Canada!”
Trudeau warned Monday that Trump’s second stint in the White House would be “a little more challenging” than the first, before going on to say that Trump’s proposed tariffs would backfire.
“Trump got elected on a commitment to make life better and more affordable for Americans, and I think people south of the border are beginning to wake up to the real reality that tariffs on everything from Canada would make life a lot more expensive,” the prime minister said.
“Let’s not kid ourselves in any way, shape or form, 25 percent tariffs on everything going to the United States would be devastating for the Canadian economy,” he added during his speech at an event organized by the Halifax Chamber of Commerce. “It would also, however, mean real hardship for Americans as well. Americans import 65 percent of their crude oil from Canada, significant amounts of electricity. Just about all the natural gas exported from Canada goes to the United States. They rely on us for steel and aluminum. They rely on us for a range of agriculture imports. All of those things would get more expensive.”
He added: “We will of course, as we did eight years ago, respond to unfair tariffs.”
