United States President Donald Trump has once again floated the idea of Canada becoming America’s 51st state, using a campaign rally in Bullhead City, Arizona, to air a list of grievances against Washington’s northern neighbour.
Trump told the crowd on Wednesday that Canada had treated the US unfairly for years, pointing to tariffs on American goods and car manufacturers shifting production south of the border.
“Canada treats us very badly. They always have. Not anymore. It’s a whole different ball game now that Trump is in town,” he said, according to CTV News.
The US president accused Ottawa of exploiting the American economy through dairy tariffs, claiming the restrictions kicked in at “anything past two bottles” of milk.
“They’ll end up being the 51st state, because that’s the only way it works,” Trump said. “We don’t need them, but they need us.”
He questioned why Washington should continue losing billions of dollars supporting a country he said was not part of America, and compared the situation to his earlier interest in Greenland.
“They’ll be doing something just like Greenland,” he said, adding that the prospect “just adds to our beautiful plate” and that “our plate’s getting larger all the time.”
Trump also raised the idea of renaming Lake Ontario as “Lake America.”
The remarks land amid deepening trade tensions between the two allies. Ottawa has repeatedly rejected any suggestion that Canada could be absorbed into the United States.
In September, after Canada announced fresh retaliatory tariffs on American goods, British Columbia Premier David Eby said the province would put up signs at US border crossings declaring it would never become the 51st state.
US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick made a similar remark about Ontario last month, calling it the “last out of our 51st states,” after Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney urged the Trump administration to take trade talks seriously.
Trump first revived the 51st state proposal in June, when Canada’s economy was seen by some economists as having slipped into a technical recession. The suggestion drew condemnation from Canadian officials across the country.
Ontario Premier Doug Ford responded at the time by saying Trump was “back on his high horse,” insisting Canadian sovereignty was not for sale.
“I can tell President Trump that will never, ever happen,” Ford said.
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