Trump Suggests Canada’s Merger with U.S. as Trudeau Steps Down as Prime Minister
- President-elect Donald Trump suggested the U.S. and Canada should merge in a Truth Social post, mocking Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau
- Trudeau’s resignation came after growing party pressure and trade tensions with the U.S., including disagreements over Trump’s tariffs on Canadian imports
- Trump, known for criticizing trade deficits, also tied his merger suggestion to national security concerns
President-elect Donald Trump continued his ongoing campaign of trolling against Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Monday, January 6, after the latter announced his resignation.
In a post on the social media platform Truth Social, Trump suggested that the U.S. and Canada should merge, calling Canada "the 51st State."
Source: Getty Images
Trump added that the move would eliminate the need for the U.S. to "stay afloat," a jab at Canada's dependence on trade subsidies.
Trump’s post continued his pattern of referring to Trudeau as “Governor Justin Trudeau” and poking fun at Canada's political situation.
He claimed that Trudeau’s resignation stemmed from his recognition that the U.S. could no longer "suffer the massive Trade Deficits and Subsidies that Canada needs to stay afloat."
What's the rift between Trump and Trudeau?
Justin Trudeau has served as Canada’s prime minister since 2015 and has led the Liberal Party for 11 years. However, over the past year, Trudeau faced growing calls for his resignation due to internal party disagreements and increasing tensions with the U.S. over trade policies, Forbes reported.
His feuds with Trump, particularly over the latter’s proposed 25% tariff on imports from Canada, contributed to growing concerns within the Liberal Party.
Trudeau’s resignation announcement
Trudeau’s decision to step down came as no surprise to many, following increasing pressure from his party's lawmakers and internal battles within the Liberal Party.
During a press conference, Trudeau revealed that he had decided over the holidays to resign, acknowledging that it had become clear he could not carry the Liberal standard into the next election, The New York Times reported.
He requested a recess until March 24 for the party to select a new leader, who would then take over as prime minister.
Trump’s criticism of Canada’s trade deficits
Trump has long been critical of trade deficits with neighbouring countries, particularly Canada and Mexico.
As part of his presidential campaign, he focused on increasing tariffs on foreign competitors and reducing trade imbalances.
His recent comments about Canada, including a previous suggestion that the country should become the 51st state, have mostly been regarded as a joke, but they fit into Trump’s broader narrative of reshaping international relations.
Trump’s latest suggestion that the U.S. and Canada merge also touched on national security concerns.
He claimed that the merger would protect both nations from threats posed by Russian and Chinese military presence in the region, referring to the “Russian and Chinese ships that are constantly surrounding them.”
Trump to face hush-money sentencing
Earlier, Legit.ng reported that a judge in New York again denied Trump the ability to dismiss his hush money conviction due to his election victory.
The judge, Juan Merchan, ordered Trump to appear in court for sentencing on Friday, January 10, 2025. Merchan signalled in a written decision that he would sentence the former and future president to what is known as a conditional discharge, in which a case gets dismissed if a defendant avoids re-arrest.
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Source: Legit.ng
