President Trump wished Canada “good luck” in its major election on Monday and made an endorsement — himself.
Mr. Trump, posting on Truth Social, said unifying Canada and the U.S. under his leadership would have “all positives and no negatives.”
“Elect the man who has the strength and wisdom to cut your taxes in half, increase your military power, for free, to the highest level in the World, have your Car, Steel, Aluminum, Lumber, Energy, and all other businesses, QUADRUPLE in size, WITH ZERO TARIFFS OR TAXES, if Canada becomes the cherished 51st. State of the United States of America,” Mr. Trump posted.
Mr. Trump has rankled Canada with his repeated remarks about Canada’s reliance on the U.S. and musings about making it another U.S. state.
His rhetoric and actions have been a major factor as Canadians head to the polls.
Conservatives were poised to win big earlier this year. But then, Mr. Trump threatened Canada with massive tariffs and talk of annexation, supercharging Prime Minister Mark Carney and his Liberal Party’s chances as they rallied denizens to buy Canadian products and resist Mr. Trump.
Canada is home to roughly 40 million people, putting it on par with the population of California. Adding it as a state would bring an influx of relatively liberal voters, though Mr. Trump is focused on combining its economic forces.
He says the U.S.’s $63 billion trade deficit with Canada amounts to subsidization of the northern neighbor.
“America can no longer subsidize Canada with the Hundreds of Billions of Dollars a year that we have been spending in the past. It makes no sense unless Canada is a State!” Mr. Trump posted Monday.
