US President Donald Trump has once again suggested making Canada the 51st state of the United States, accusing Ottawa of unfair trade practices. He criticized Canada for allegedly benefiting from low military costs while depending on US protection and called for Ottawa to “start paying up.”
Trump Criticizes Canada’s Trade Policies
Speaking at a press conference on Thursday (local time), Trump stated:
“Canada has been very bad to us on trade. But now Canada is going to have to start paying up. Canada has been tough on the military because they have a very low military cost. They think we are going to protect them with our military, which is unfair. So Canada is going to be in a very serious situation…we don’t need their product and yet they survive…we do 95 per cent of what they do.”
Trump claimed that Canada’s trade policies result in a USD 200 billion annual trade deficit for the US, arguing that making Canada a US state would be more economically beneficial.
“Their taxes would go down greatly, their security would go up greatly, amazing things happen to Canada. Why would we pay USD 200 billion in subsidy to Canada, when they’re not a state? You do that for a state, you don’t do that for another country… so I think Canada is going to be a very serious contender to be our 51st state.”
Trump Targets the European Union on Trade
Apart from Canada, Trump also criticized the European Union, accusing it of being tough on US tech companies and airlines.
“The European Union has been very tough on companies. They sued Apple, they sued Google, they sued Facebook, they sued many other companies…so they have been very tough. Airlines have called me up and said, ‘Could you help us with Europe, they are charging us so many different fees’… European Union has been brutal on us for trade.”
Trump’s History of Trade Disputes with Canada
Trump has repeatedly clashed with Canada over trade, even mocking outgoing Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau as the “Governor of Canada.”
Earlier this month, Trump announced a 25% tariff on imports from Canada and Mexico, along with an additional 10% tariff on Chinese goods. However, he later paused the tariffs for 30 days, citing new commitments from Canada and Mexico to improve border security.
Trump’s latest remarks are expected to further strain US-Canada relations, which have been tense over trade policies and military spending expectations.