Trump’s Ambitions in Canada Leave Many Perplexed

Eight years prior, President Donald Trump praised the U.S.-Canada relationship with enthusiasm.

In February 2017, he welcomed Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to the White House for one of his first joint appearances with a foreign leader. Trump began by acknowledging that the two nations “share much more than a border,” emphasizing “the unique connections forged when two countries have fought together — which we have.”

“America is truly fortunate to have a neighbor like Canada,” Trump remarked. “We have the chance to construct even more bridges, both in cooperation and in commerce.”

Fast forward to Thursday, just weeks after Trump instigated a full-blown trade war with Canada, and it’s evident that the president no longer views the U.S. as needing a border — or even much else — with its Canadian counterparts.

Addressing reporters in the Oval Office, Trump began by expressing his fondness for Canadians, including his “many friends” such as hockey legend Wayne Gretzky. He then expanded on an increasingly controversial topic: the notion of completely annexing Canada as a state.

“Canada only functions as a state,” Trump asserted Thursday. “We don’t need anything they have. As a state, it would be among the greatest states anywhere. This would be a visually stunning country. If you look at a map, they have an artificial line dividing them from us, drawn straight across. Someone made that decision decades ago. It’s nonsensical. It’s so perfectly suited to be a valued state.”

“But why should we be subsidizing another country to the tune of $200 billion?” Trump continued, adding, “Again, we don’t need their lumber or energy. We have more than they do. We don’t require anything from them. I would much prefer to manufacture cars here. There’s absolutely nothing we need. Sure, there may be some temporary disruptions, but they depend on us more than we need them. We have to make this happen. I’m sorry.”

Trump has shown no remorse in his ambition to annex Canada — a mission he claimed in January would be pursued through “economic force.” This has led to a significant deterioration in the relationship between the U.S. and one of its closest allies, resulting in a stock market decline amid growing fears of a prolonged trade conflict. Initially, both Canadian officials and Republicans believed Trump was only joking, poking fun at Trudeau — a long-time adversary — after their meeting at Mar-a-Lago in November. Following that meeting, Trump first openly suggested the idea of absorbing Canada. Few view it as a joke now, and Canadians have stopped laughing.

A source familiar with their discussions told NBC News that Trump is quite fixated on Canada in talks with his advisors, who believe he is entirely serious about making the country the 51st state — even with Trudeau out of office and a new prime minister in place.

‘No clue where that is coming from’

There’s not exactly a surge of support for this notion. At a heated town hall in his district on Thursday, Rep. Chuck Edwards, R-N.C., was directly asked if he endorsed Trump’s ambitions to annex Canada and Greenland.

“No,” Edwards replied. “I do not.”

While some Canadians say Trump did joke to Trudeau about Canada becoming a state during his first term, several former officials who worked in Trump’s White House claimed that the sweeping assault on Canadian sovereignty was not the result of any discussion during that time. Indeed, these former officials stated they have no memory of Trump ever bringing it up.

“I never heard him mention it,” said one former White House official. “Ever. I have no idea where that’s coming from.”

Similarly, congressional Republicans did not remember this idea being entertained during his first term.

“That’s basically three no’s,” Rep. Mark Amodei, R-Nev., said when asked if he recalled Trump expressing interest in acquiring Canada, redrawing borders, or renegotiating treaties with the Canadians. “No. To my recollection, this is all pretty new.”

A 68-page national security report Trump signed in December 2017 only mentioned Canada once: “Canada and the United States share a unique strategic and defense partnership.”

Privately, Trump has made specific demands that officials say Canada could never accept. During a phone call with Trudeau last month, he indicated he wants to alter the boundary established by a 1908 border treaty, as two Canadian officials have reported, which had also been covered by The New York Times and Toronto Star.

If Trump genuinely disputes the boundary line, the appropriate resolution channel would be the International Court of Justice, according to a Canadian official.

The president has also proposed renegotiating agreements that govern the Great Lakes and Columbia River, the official told NBC News, adding that Trump wishes to control the Northwest Passage, a maritime route that extends west of Greenland and traverses Northern Canada to the Arctic Ocean.

“He wants our water,” the Canadian official said. “He wants to take the water.”

Marc Miller, Canada’s minister of immigration, refugees, and citizenship, noted that Trump is drawn to Canada’s natural resources. Separately, the president seeks American access to Ukraine’s rare earth minerals as compensation for aid provided to the nation during its conflict.

“I believe Mr. Trump views our natural resources with an acquisitive perspective,” Miller stated, calling Trump’s rhetoric about the U.S. subsidizing Canada for $200 billion misleading.

According to Miller, Canadians began taking Trump’s annexation threats seriously once he took office. He expressed disappointment that other allies haven’t stepped up to defend Canada.

“I can’t say this was entirely anticipated. Nor can anyone,” Miller remarked. “Frustratingly, among our allies, everyone is ducking for cover.”

The White House did not respond to a request for comment.

A struggle for ‘fair’ treatment

In recent weeks, Trump has imposed extensive and severe tariffs on a wide array of Canadian goods. There have been some reversals, followed by escalations. Canada has retaliated, and the trade conflict has intensified nearly every day.

Canada is one of the U.S.’s largest trading partners, with around 80% of Canadian exports directed to the U.S. The country supplies approximately 60% of U.S. crude oil imports, 85% of electricity imports, and is also the leading exporter of steel and aluminum to the U.S.

“Well, I think Canada is a neighbor,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt stated during a Tuesday briefing. “They are a partner. They have always been allies. Maybe they’re starting to become competitors now.”

Trump has not offered Canada a clear path to de-escalation. He has criticized what he sees as high Canadian tariffs on dairy imports from the U.S. and underscored the significance of U.S. metal production. Furthermore, he claims the trade conflict is partly due to Canada’s lack of urgency in tackling the fentanyl crisis, despite only 43 pounds of fentanyl being seized by U.S. border officials entering the U.S. from Canada last fiscal year, compared to 21,100 pounds from Mexico. He has also incorrectly claimed that American banks cannot operate in Canada; however, the Canadian Banking Association revealed last month that 16 U.S. banks are currently functioning in Canada.

“Clearly, the president is seeking some results,” Amodei noted, having launched the bipartisan American Canadian Economy and Security Caucus in 2023 and reintroduced a House resolution reaffirming the U.S.-Canada partnership last month. “I’m uncertain what those results are, though.”

Amodei believes Trump is primarily pursuing to be “treated fairly” regarding trade, citing examples where he feels Canada has not been equitable.

“When you express the desire to be treated fairly, the question arises: To what extent do you define ‘fair’?” Amodei commented. “As of now, ‘fair’ is undefined.”

Canadians perceive Trump’s intention to absorb Canadian territory as profoundly unjust. Mark Carney, the former Canadian and British central banker recently appointed as prime minister, referred to the coming “dark days” for his country after being elected to lead the Liberal Party.

“These are indeed dark days — dark days initiated by a country we can no longer trust,” he commented. “We are processing the shock — yet let us always remember the lessons. We must take care of ourselves and each other.”

Carney voiced his readiness to negotiate a renewed trade agreement, similar to how Trump had restructured the North American Free Trade Agreement into the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement during his initial term, provided that Canada’s sovereignty is honored.

“If he truly desired Canada — if he genuinely wanted it — his approach has undermined the chances of Canada becoming the 51st state,” remarked John Bolton, who served as national security adviser during Trump’s first term and has since distanced himself from him.

‘Canada is a sovereign state’

Trump’s assertions are not being echoed by other administration members. During a confirmation hearing, Trump’s nominee for ambassador to Canada, former Rep. Pete Hoekstra, R-Mich., stated that “Canada is a sovereign state,” indicating that the president’s annexation ambitions may stem from his relationship with Trudeau.

When Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, D-N.H., asked how he could mend a “negative relationship that has developed due to the president’s statements,” while also “tackling tariff issues,” Hoekstra replied: “Obviously, I’ve been considering that myself.”

Nearly 800 miles north of Washington, D.C., at a G7 foreign ministers meeting in Quebec, reporters pressed Secretary of State Marco Rubio regarding Trump’s annexation desire. Rubio confirmed that such discussions were not on the agenda for the G7 meeting.

“This isn’t a meeting about how we’re going to annex Canada,” Rubio emphasized.

When further questioned by NBC News after the foreign ministers’ gathering, Rubio elaborated on the president’s stance.

“Let me explain how that came about,” Rubio recounted regarding discussions of Canada becoming a state. “So, he was in a meeting with Trudeau, and Trudeau basically stated that if the U.S. imposes tariffs on Canada, the nation could not survive as a sovereign entity, at which point the president responded, ‘Well, then you should become a state.’

Trump, Rubio articulated, “provided an argument for why Canada would fare better by joining the United States from an economic viewpoint and beyond.”

“He has consistently made that argument,” Rubio added. “And I believe it speaks for itself.”

A senior State Department official noted the need to “distinguish trade policy” from “broader cooperation on foreign affairs, which poses its challenges.”

“However, there is widespread agreement that we cannot allow substantial disagreements on specific issues to inhibit our collaborative efforts on shared matters, particularly critical foreign policy issues such as migration, China, and, naturally, Russia and Ukraine,” the official further remarked.

What further complicates Republicans’ views on Trump’s concept is that annexing Canada would plausibly add millions more Democrats to the American voter pool. Canada is a more liberal-leaning country with a population exceeding California’s. The potential statehood could result in 50 additional House seats and two more senators — signaling a significant power shift in the government.

“They would have a considerable delegation in the House,” Amodei remarked. “I don’t think anyone considers that to be an ideal scenario. By the way, how many Electoral College votes would they then have?”

Trump’s management of the U.S.-Canada relationship is closely tied to his personal rapport with Trudeau, who until this week has been his only Canadian counterpart. At times, their association has produced favorable outcomes, like the reworking of the trade agreement governing their economic interactions. Yet, there has also been tension and conflict.

Currently, the threat of annexation has sparked a “surge of nationalism in Canada” unlike anything Miller has previously witnessed.

“It’s evident that this can cause more harm to Canada than the U.S.,” Miller remarked, noting that the U.S. is Canada’s primary trading partner. “However, we have a high threshold for pain, and we are prepared to confront this.”

There’s a solid rationale behind Canada’s confidence in winning this battle too. Its citizens are united in preserving their national sovereignty, while the U.S. faces internal divisions concerning Trump’s trade conflicts — especially as the stock market falters.

“Trump’s position is precarious because he lacks the backing of the American business community,” the Canadian official noted. “And we are well aware of that.”