Trump suggests Canada as 51st state amidst tariff tensions
In response to the US tariffs imposed on Canada, Donald Trump stated that the country "would not survive" without US money. That’s why Canada should become our 51st state, he emphasized.
As a reminder, on Saturday, Donald Trump imposed 25% tariffs on Canadian goods and 10% on the country's energy resources. The 25% rate was imposed on Mexico and 10% on China. This decision has sparked significant controversy, with the Wall Street Journal calling it "the dumbest trade war in history."
Trump: Canada should become the 51st state of the USA
Donald Trump has now addressed the outrage expressed by Canadians. "We pay hundreds of Billions of Dollars to SUBSIDIZE Canada. Why? There is no reason. We don’t need anything they have. We have unlimited Energy, should make our Cars, and have more Lumber than we can ever use," Trump declared in a post on his social media platform Truth Social. "Without this massive subsidy, Canada ceases to exist as a viable Country. Harsh but true! Therefore, Canada should become our Cherished 51st State," he added.
He emphasized that if Canada became a state, it could count on "much better military protection, lower taxes, and no tariffs."
The US President did not explain what he meant by "subsidies." From his previous statements, he might be referring to the trade deficit in goods between the two countries. Despite the President's claims that it amounts to hundreds of billions of dollars, government data indicates that US imports exceed exports to Canada by about 55 billion dollars.
Trump criticizes the "Wall Street Journal"
In another post on Sunday regarding the tariffs imposed on Canada, Mexico, and China, the President criticized the conservative newspaper "Wall Street Journal," which in an editorial labeled Trump's move as "the dumbest trade war in history." The President claimed that the "globalist" paper leads the "customs lobby" to justify the "decades-long ripping off of America" and the influx of drugs and crime.
According to Trump, "those days are over," and the US has large trade deficits with Canada, Mexico, and China. "Produce your product in the US, and there will be no tariffs," he added.
"WE WILL MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN, AND IT WILL ALL BE WORTH THE PRICE THAT MUST BE PAID. WE ARE A COUNTRY THAT IS NOW BEING RUN WITH COMMON SENSE — AND THE RESULTS WILL BE SPECTACULAR!!!" he assured, writing in all caps.
It's important to remember, however, that according to economists' estimates, actions against China can significantly affect the US. "If the United States imposed an additional 10% tariff on China, and China reciprocated, the U.S. GDP would decrease by $55 billion over four years of the second Trump administration, and China by $128 billion," estimated the American Peterson Institute for International Economics in a report cited by CNBC.
The USA imposes tariffs on Canada, Mexico, and China
On Saturday, Donald Trump announced in his post on X that he had officially imposed 25% tariffs on products from Mexico and Canada. The latter will also be subject to tariffs on energy resources at a rate of 10%. At the same time, the USA is also imposing 10% tariffs on products from China. As Trump explained, he did this due to the threat of illegal immigration and drug influx, including fentanyl, into the States. He argued that all three countries are insufficiently trying to curb this practice.
