Does Trump Plan to Annex Canada? Secretary Rubio Speaks Out

Secretary of State Marco Rubio sits adjacent President Donald Trump successful the Oval Office of the White House connected April 14, 2025, successful Washington, D.C. Credit - Win McNamee—Getty Images

On the eve of Canadians gearing up to ballot successful a national election, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio addressed President Donald Trump’s erstwhile comments astir making Canada the “51st state.”

During an quality connected NBC’s Meet the Press connected Sunday, April 27, big Kristen Welker questioned Rubio connected whether oregon not the State Department has “taken immoderate steps to transportation out” Trump’s plans “as helium has said, to annex Canada.”

“What the President said, and helium has said this repeatedly, is helium was told by the erstwhile Prime Minister [Justin Trudeau] that Canada could not past without unfair commercialized with the United States, astatine which constituent [Trump] asked, ‘Well, if you can't past arsenic a federation without treating america unfairly successful trade, past you should go a state,’” Rubio said.

Rubio’s comments travel aft a back-and-forth betwixt Canada’s erstwhile Prime Minister Trudeau and Trump astir however Canada should woody with the pressures felt by Trump’s tariffs. Canada has besides countered with a 25% tariff connected goods imported from the U.S.

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Trump has repeatedly said some connected societal media and to reporters that Canada could go the 51st authorities of the U.S. When asked successful the Oval Office by reporters successful February if determination was thing Trudeau could “give” to Trump amid ongoing tariff discussions, Trump reiterated that arsenic a state, determination would beryllium nary tariffs connected the country.

“What I’d similar to see; Canada go our 51st state,” Trump said. “If radical wanted to play the crippled right, it would beryllium 100% definite that it would go a state.”

Canada's existent Prime Minister Mark Carney has besides spoken retired connected Trump's persistent comments astir annexing Canada. He said Trump raised the substance during a telephone telephone successful March. Speaking astatine a run property conference, Carney said: "To beryllium clear, arsenic I've said to anyone who's raised this contented successful backstage oregon successful public, including the President, it volition ne'er happen.

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In an April 22 interrogation with TIME, Trump doubled down connected his erstwhile statements and said helium was “really not trolling” astir making Canada the 51st state, arguing that America doesn’t “need thing from Canada.”

“We’re taking attraction of their military. We're taking attraction of each facet of their lives, and we don't request them to marque cars for us. In fact, we don't privation them to marque cars for us. We privation to marque our ain cars. We don't request their lumber. We don't request their energy. We don't request thing from Canada,” Trump said. “And I accidental the lone mode this happening truly works is for Canada to go a state.”

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Trudeau—who announced his plans to measurement down successful January arsenic Canada’s Liberal Party leader—has antecedently told lawmakers and concern leaders to instrumentality the menace of annexation seriously, with respective outlets reporting that astatine a Canada-U.S. Economic Summit successful Toronto successful February, Trudeau suggested that Trump wants entree to Canada’s captious minerals. “Mr Trump has it successful caput that the easiest mode to bash it is absorbing our state and it is simply a existent thing," helium said.

As mentioned, Rubio’s caller comments onshore a time earlier Canada’s April 28 national election, which could spot a caller person successful spot for negotiations astir tariffs with the United States. Trump’s comments person weighed heavy connected the Canadian elections frankincense far, with the Liberal Party utilizing a Canadian question of nationalism that has resulted from the ongoing commercialized concerns. The country’s adjacent person could determine the destiny of Canada’s captious narration with the U.S. and however that volition look moving forward.

“They're going to person a caller leader. We'll woody with a caller enactment successful Canada,” Rubio said. “There are galore things to enactment cooperatively with Canada on, but we really don't similar the mode they treated america erstwhile it comes to trade, and the President has made that constituent erstwhile helium responded to the erstwhile Prime Minister.”

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