President Donald Trump mentioned he’s severe about wanting Canada to change into the 51st State in an interview that aired Sunday (February 9, 2025) through the Tremendous Bowl preshow.
“Yeah it’s,” Mr. Trump instructed Fox InformationChannel’s Bret Baier when requested whether or not his speak of annexing Canada is “an actual factor” — as Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau lately warned.
“I feel Canada could be a lot better off being the 51st State as a result of we lose $200 billion a 12 months with Canada. And I’m not going to let that occur,” he mentioned. “Why are we paying $200 billion a 12 months, basically a subsidy to Canada?”
The U.S. will not be subsidizing Canada. The U.S. buys merchandise from the pure resource-rich nation, together with commodities like oil. Whereas the commerce hole in items has ballooned lately to $72 billion in 2023, the deficit largely displays America’s imports of Canadian power.
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Mr. Trump has repeatedly prompt that Canada could be higher off if it agreed to change into the 51st U.S. State — a prospect that’s deeply unpopular amongst Canadians.
Mr. Trudeau mentioned Friday (February 7, 2025) throughout a closed-door session with enterprise and labour leaders that Mr. Trump’s speak of constructing Canada the 51st U.S. State was “an actual factor” and tied to need for entry to the nation’s pure assets.
“Mr. Trump has it in thoughts that the simplest method to do it’s absorbing our nation and it’s a actual factor. In my conversations with him on …,” Mr. Trudeau mentioned, in line with CBC, Canada’s public broadcaster. “They’re very conscious of our assets of what now we have, they usually very a lot need to have the ability to profit from these.”
Talking to reporters aboard Air Pressure One on Sunday (February 9, 2025) as he travelled to the Tremendous Bowl sport in New Orleans, Mr. Trump continued to threaten a rustic that has lengthy been one of many U.S.’s closest allies. He claimed that Canada is “not viable as a rustic” with out U.S. commerce, and warned that the founding NATO member can now not rely upon the U.S. for army safety.
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“You recognize, they don’t pay very a lot for army. And the explanation they don’t pay a lot is that they assume that we’re going to guard them,” he mentioned. “That’s not an assumption they’ll make as a result of — why are we defending one other nation?”
Within the Fox interview, which was pre-taped this weekend in Florida, Mr. Trump additionally mentioned that he has not seen sufficient motion from Canada and Mexico to stave off the tariffs he has threatened to impose on the nation’s two largest buying and selling companions as soon as a 30-day extension is up.
“No, it’s not ok,” he mentioned. “One thing has to occur. It’s not sustainable. And I’m altering it.”
Mr. Trump final week agreed to a 30-day pause on his plan to slap Mexico and Canada with a 25% tariff on all imports apart from Canadian oil, pure gasoline and electrical energy, which might be taxed at 10%, after the nations took steps to appease his issues about border safety and drug trafficking.
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Aboard Air Pressure One, Mr. Trump mentioned that he would on Monday (February 10, 2025) announce a 25% tariff on all metal and aluminium imports into the U.S., together with from Canada and Mexico, and unveil a plan for reciprocal tariffs later within the week.
“Very merely it’s in the event that they cost us, we cost them,” he mentioned.
Mr. Trump’s participation within the Tremendous Bowl interview marked a return to custom. Presidents have sometimes granted a sit-down to the community broadcasting the sport, the most-watched tv occasion of the 12 months. However each Mr. Trump and his predecessor, Joe Biden, have been inconsistent of their participation.
Mr. Biden declined to take part final 12 months — turning down an enormous viewers in an election 12 months — and likewise skipped an look in 2023, when efforts by his crew to have Mr. Biden communicate with a Fox Corp. streaming service as an alternative of the principle community failed. Throughout his first time period, Mr. Trump participated three out of 4 years.
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Mr. Trump was the primary sitting President to attend the Tremendous Bowl in particular person — one thing he instructed Mr. Baier he was stunned to be taught.
“I assumed it might be a great factor for the nation to have the president on the sport,” he mentioned.
Throughout his flight to New Orleans, Mr. Trump signed a proclamation declaring February 9 “the primary ever Gulf of America Day” as Air Pressure One flew over the physique of water that he renamed by proclamation from the Gulf of Mexico.
Mr. Trump within the interview, additionally defended the work of billionaire Elon Musk, whose so-called Division of Authorities Effectivity, or DOGE, has been drawing deep concern from Democrats as he strikes to close down entire authorities companies and fireplace massive swaths of the federal workforce within the identify of rooting out waste and inefficiency.
Additionally Learn | Trump’s tariffs may hit Canada, Mexico onerous, whereas China seems to be ready
Mr. Musk, Mr. Trump mentioned, has “been terrific,” and can goal the Division of Training and the army subsequent.
“We’re going to search out billions, a whole lot of billions of {dollars} of fraud and abuse,” Mr. Trump predicted. “I campaigned on this.”
He was additionally requested about his dancing, which has change into a preferred meme on social media.
“I don’t know what it’s,” he mentioned. “I attempt to stroll off typically with out dancing and I can’t. I’ve to bounce.”
Printed – February 10, 2025 11:48 am IST
