President-elect Donald Trump has in recent weeks ruffled feathers in Canada and Greenland with talk of potential national and territorial mergers. The Republican doubled down on his controversial remarks this week after Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced that he was throwing in the towel.
Trudeau, facing a disapproval rating of 74%, signaled an end Monday to nearly a decade of leftist rule checkered by personal scandals, irresponsible spending, unchecked immigration, and court-condemned authoritarian overreach.
Trump afforded the prime minister little quiet time to mourn his loss of power, stating on Truth Social roughly two hours after Trudeau’s announcement, “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. Justin Trudeau knew this, and resigned.”
A Trudeau associate told the Globe and Mail over the weekend that the prime minister actually resigned because parliamentarians in his own party would have unceremoniously kicked him to the curb Wednesday. Nevertheless, the prime minister — who visited Mar-a-Lago on Nov. 30 and pledged to increase border security to avoid a 25% tariff on Canadian exports — was, as Trump suggested, undoubtedly aware of the trade deficit.
‘Together, what a great Nation it would be!’
The U.S. Census Bureau and the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis indicated Tuesday that as of November and without seasonal adjustments, the U.S. exported over $322.40 billion to Canada in 2024. Meanwhile, the U.S. — Canada’s largest services trading partner — imported roughly $377.23 billion in goods from Canada. The Globe and Mail reported that the U.S. trade deficit with Canada on an annual basis neared $70 billion as of early December, which Ottawa has largely attributed to Canadian energy sales to America.
Trump noted further, “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!”
Though Rep. Andy Biggs (R-Ariz.) previously told Canadian state media Trump was just being humorous, the president-elect noted in a Dec. 18 message, “Many Canadians want Canada to become the 51st State. They would save massively on taxes and military protection. I think it is a great idea. 51st State!”
Days later, the president-elect indicated that he had asked Wayne Gretzky to run “for Prime Minister of Canada, soon to be known as the Governor of Canada,” again alluding to Canada’s transformation into an American state.
While there is already a great deal of security, trade, transportation, and energy integration between the U.S. and Canada, the response to Trump’s proposal was mixed among the citizens whose forebears felt compelled to draft at least one defense scheme for handling an invasion from the south.
Conservative Party Leader Pierre Poilievre rejected the proposal last month but acknowledged that Trump was merely probing and exploiting the Trudeau government’s weakness.
“That’s why we need a strong, smart prime minister who has the brains and backbone to first and foremost say to President Trump, ‘Canada will never be the 51st state. We will be an independent, proud, sovereign country as we always have been,” said Poilievre, presently poised to lead the Conservatives to victory and become prime minister.
‘Please, take them. For free. Right now.’
“We are blessed to live next door to the greatest military and economic superpower the world has ever seen, which President Trump will soon again lead,” continued Poilievre. “The president has raised some reasonable concerns about the broken Liberal border and our military. And I would respond by saying, ‘We do need to reinforce our border with drones, helicopters, boots on the ground, and other high-performing technology to keep drugs and guns from crossing, to stop human trafficking, and we will. We will rebuild our military.'”
Before yelling about health care, leftist Canadian parliamentarian Elizabeth May said of Trump’s proposal, “You think we want to become the 51st state? Nah. But maybe California would like to be the 11th province. How about it?”
BlazeTV host Sara Gonzales responded to May, tweeting, “Please, take them. For free. Right now.”
Ontario Premier Doug Ford similarly shared a sardonic counter-offer for Trump: “How about we buy Alaska?”
The Tyee, a leftist Canadian publication, responded to Trump’s proposal with a counter-offer, suggesting that the province of Quebec would realize its goal of becoming an independent ethnostate while the rest of Canada would go in as five states, each securing two U.S. senators and a handful of representatives in Congress.
A December Leger poll found that 13% of Canadians would like their homeland to become part of America and 82% signaled opposition.
Stateside, the idea has some supporters, including CNN talking head and former Obama adviser Van Jones, who expressed enthusiasm Monday over the prospect of incorporating what he figures would be a “huge blue state.”
‘MAKE GREENLAND GREAT AGAIN!’
Having rekindled a sense of nationalism among the citizens of a country Trudeau called the “first postnational state,” Trump turned his sights once again on Greenland, a self-ruling Danish territory that he discussed purchasing during his first term.
On Monday, Trump, who has emphasized that America is entering a “golden age,” wrote on Truth Social, “I am hearing that the people of Greenland are ‘MAGA.’ My son, Don Jr, and various representatives, will be traveling there to visit some of the most magnificent areas and sights.”
Sure enough, Donald Trump Jr. made his way to Greenland this week, prompting Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen to note on Danish TV that “Greenland belongs to the Greenlanders,” reported the BBC.
“Greenland is an incredible place, and the people will benefit tremendously if, and when, it becomes part of our Nation,” said Trump. “We will protect it, and cherish it, from a very vicious outside World. MAKE GREENLAND GREAT AGAIN!”
Greenland, which Republican Sens. Mike Lee (Utah) and Eric Schmitt (Mo.) and others have begun referring to as “MAGADONIA,” is home to the northernmost installation of the U.S military, Pituffik Space Base — formerly Thule Air Base. Blaze News previously reported that a U.S. Geological Survey estimate indicated there could be 17.5 billion undiscovered barrels of oil and 148 trillion cubic feet of natural gas off the island, which is home to a population of under 60,000.
When announcing former U.S. Ambassador to Sweden Ken Howery as his pick for ambassador to Denmark on Dec. 22, Trump stated that “the United States of America feels that the ownership and control of Greenland is an absolute necessity.”
Greenland government officials told the Wall Street Journal when Trump’s potential interest in the acquisition was first raised, “We’re open for business, not for sale.”
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