President Donald Trump asserted on Thursday that Canada would be better off as part of the United States, and emphasized that he would not back down from the tariffs he has imposed or those scheduled to begin in April.
Trump made these comments during a press conference in the Oval Office following a meeting with NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte, which was broadcast on Newsmax and its online platform, Newsmax2. The conversation came shortly after Trump urged European allies to contribute more to the defense fund of the 32-nation military alliance.
The 25% tariffs on Canadian steel and aluminum imports were implemented on Wednesday, while additional tariffs on automobile imports are set to take effect on April 2 after a month-long delay. Trump is leveraging these tariffs to pressure both Canada and Mexico to take stronger action against illegal immigration and the trafficking of fentanyl.
“To be honest with you, Canada only works as a state,” Trump declared. “We don’t need anything they have. As a state, it would be one of the great states anyway. This would be the most incredible country visually. … It’s so perfect as a great and cherished state. Keeping ‘O Canada,’ the national anthem. I love it. I think it’s great. Keep it. But it will be for the state, one of our greatest states, maybe our greatest state, but why should we subsidize another country for $200 billion?”
He continued, “It costs us $200 billion a year. And again, we don’t need their lumber. We don’t need their energy. We have more than they do. We don’t need anything. We don’t need their cars. I’d much rather make the cars here. And there’s not a thing that we need now. There’ll be a little disruption, but it won’t be very long. But they need us. We really don’t need them, and we have to do this.”
Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick reportedly stated on Wednesday that the best way to integrate the economies of Canada and the United States would be for Canada to become a U.S. state. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt added that the president has made it clear that he believes Canada would benefit economically and militarily if it were to join the U.S. as its 51st state.
When questioned about whether he would reconsider the tariffs on steel, aluminum, or automobiles, Trump responded firmly, “No. We’ve been ripped off for years, and we’re not going to be ripped off anymore. No, I’m not going to bend at all on aluminum or steel. Or cars, we’re not going to bend. We’ve been ripped off as a country for many, many years. We’ve been subjected to costs that we shouldn’t be subjected to.”
He added, “In the case of Canada, we’re spending $200 billion a year to subsidize Canada. I love Canada. I love the people of Canada. I have many friends in Canada. The great one, Wayne Gretzky, how good is Wayne Gretzky? He’s the great one. I know many people from Canada that are good friends of mine, but you know, the United States can’t subsidize a country for $200 billion a year.”
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