OAN Staff James Meyers
7:42 AM – Tuesday, December 3, 2024
President-elect Donald Trump reportedly suggested to Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau last week that if his country can’t handle Trump’s tariff plan they should become the 51st state.
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The 78-year-old Trump made the remark during a three-hour dinner with Trudeau at his Mar-a-Lao estate on Friday, a meeting caused by the president-elect’s threat to impose a 25% tariff on Canadian imports.
According to Fox News, Trudeau pleaded with Trump not to implement the tariff plan because it would “kill” Canada’s economy.
“So your country can’t survive unless it’s ripping off the US to the tune of $100 billion?” Trump reportedly replied, citing the U.S. trade deficit with Canada.
Trump then joked that Canada could become the 51st state, with Trudeau serving as its governor.
However, Trump did admit that “prime minister” was a better title for Trudeau than “governor”
Trudeau and others at the table laughed “nervously” at the statement, according to Fox News.
When someone at the table noted that Canada would be a “very liberal state,” the incoming president suggested that it could be split into two states, one liberal and one conservative.
Trump said last month that Canadian goods would be hit with tariffs unless the country cracked down on illegal immigration and drug smuggling.
The president-elect emphasized his demands and said that he expects the changes from Canada to come by January 20th, when he takes back the White House.
The 47th president described his conversation with Trudeau as “very productive” in a Truth Social post on Saturday.
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