Trump revisits ‘51st US state’ joke, mocks Trudeau as ‘Governor of Canada’

In accordance with Fox Information, Trump justified his proposed tariffs as obligatory for border safety, curbing drug trafficking and decreasing commerce deficits. Trudeau, nonetheless, pushed again, warning that such measures may severely hurt Canada’s economic system.

Throughout the dinner, Trump reportedly joked, “Perhaps Canada ought to turn out to be the 51st state of the US and Trudeau may turn out to be its governor,” prompting nervous laughter from the Canadian chief.

This assembly offered Trump with a chance to reiterate his imaginative and prescient for US-Canada relations forward of his inauguration on 20 January. Trump has argued that the US subsidises Canada and Mexico to an extreme diploma. “We subsidise Canada to the tune of over $100 billion a yr, we subsidise Mexico to the tune of virtually $300 billion. Why are we subsidising these international locations? If we will subsidise them, allow them to turn out to be (new) states,” he just lately mentioned in a TV interview.

In response to Trump’s feedback and threats, Trudeau acknowledged that his authorities is ready to defend Canadian pursuits. He mentioned that any US tariffs could be met with countermeasures, emphasising that such actions would finally hurt American shoppers by making merchandise dearer. The diplomatic dinner at Mar-a-Lago served as a precursor to what might be tense negotiations between the 2 nations as soon as Trump formally assumes workplace.