Trump's controversial proposal: Canada as the 51st state?
President-elect Donald Trump has been drafting some quite controversial plans for several weeks regarding the expansion of the United States. He has expressed interest in acquiring Greenland, the Panama Canal, and even absorbing its neighbour, Canada. He published a new map of the United States on his social media platform, Truth Social.
On Tuesday, during a press conference at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida, the president-elect once again reiterated his desire to annex Canada to the United States. He even mentioned that he would use "economic force" to achieve this.
- Because Canada and the United States together, that would really be something. We would eliminate that artificially drawn line, and see how it looks - which would be much better for national security, Trump stated.
Trump publishes a new map
He added that the United States is "essentially protecting Canada" and that Canada needs to pay for it. He also argued that America doesn't require any goods from Canada, highlighting the trade deficit between the two countries.
- Why should we have a $272 billion deficit and add to it many, many other things that we give them in the form of subsidies? And I said that's okay if you're a state, but if you're another country, we don't want that - the president-elect stated. He added that the same applies to the European Union.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau quickly responded to Trump's remarks. "Never, absolutely never will Canada become part of the United States," Trudeau wrote in his French post on the platform X. In the English version, Trudeau wrote more sharply, "there is not even the slightest shadow of a chance that Canada would become part of the United States."
Trump, however, disregards the opinions of others. On his social media platform, Truth Social, he posted two entries: both feature maps of North America. On one of them there is a gigantic U.S. flag covering the entire continent except for Mexico. "Oh, Canada" - Trump commented on this illustration.
Does Trump want to absorb the neighbour?
On the second map, the United States covers the entire territory of North America except for Mexico.
Is it true that Trump wants to absorb his larger neighbour?
American expert Andrzej Kohut explained in an interview with WP that Trump, even before taking office, often uses "bombastic statements as a negotiation strategy". The expert clearly pointed out that Trump does not have real plans to annex Canada, but his suggestions may be an attempt to influence future trade relations and border security with Canada. Such statements become part of the political game.
