Trump Doubles Down on '51st State Remarks

With the Canadian election days away, President Trump has doubled down on his remarks about the country becoming America's 51st state. In an interview with Time published Friday, Trump rejected the suggestion that he was maybe "trolling a little bit" with the idea.

• "I'm really not trolling. Canada is an interesting case. We lose $200 to $250 billion a year supporting Canada," Trump claimed. CNN reported earlier this year that the figures Trump often raises about the trade deficit are "not even close to correct." According to federal statistics, the US trade deficit with Canada in 2024 was $35.7 billion, down from $40.6 billion the previous year.

• "We're taking care of their military. We're taking care of every aspect of their lives, and we don't need them to make cars for us. In fact, we don't want them to make cars for us," Trump said. "We want to make our own cars. We don't need their lumber. We don't need their energy. We don't need anything from Canada. And I say the only way this thing really works is for Canada to become a state."
• Asked by Time if he wants to be remembered as a president who "expanded American territory," Trump said he wouldn't mind.
• In the interview, Trump once again referred to former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau as a "governor." After what he said was an "extremely productive" phone call last month, Trump used the correct title for current Prime Minister Mark Carney.
• On Thursday, Carney confirmed a report that Trump had referred to Canada as the 51st state during the call, but he denied that he had mischaracterized the conversation, the CBC reports. Carney said Trump had agreed with him that Canada is "a sovereign nation."
• Polls suggest Carney will lead the Liberal Party to victory in Monday's election, though the party's lead over the Conservatives has narrowed in recent days, reports Reuters.
• At the start of the year, the Conservatives had a 20-point lead in the polls, but it evaporated after Trump's attacks on Canada and Trudeau's departure. David Coletto, CEO of polling firm Abacus Data, tells the Wall Street Journal that Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre's Trump-like rhetoric and policies are increasingly unpopular with Canadian voters. "They think he's like Trump, or what he says and how he says it is just turning them off in the same way Trump turns them off," Coletto says,

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