Donald Trump doubles down on Canada as 51st State, claims U.S. subsidizes it by $200 billion, calls former PM Justin Trudeau’s staff nasty
Donald Trump Calls Canada «Nasty»
The US president also attacked former Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau's aides, labelling them «nasty,» reported Newsweek.
He told Fox News host Laura Ingraham in an interview, «I deal with every country, indirectly or directly. One of the nastiest countries to deal with is Canada,» as quoted by Newsweek.
Trump’s Exaggerated Trade Deficit Claim
Trump also proceeded to make an out-of-proportion estimate of the American trade deficit with Canada, proclaiming that «Canada was meant to be the 51st state because we subsidize Canada by $200 billion a year,» quoted Newsweek. His figure is a considerably larger number than the actual 2024 reported $63.3 billion American trade deficit as per the Office of the United States Trade Representatives, according to Newsweek.
Trump Says US Doesn’t Depend on Canadian Imports
As per the report, the US president claimed that the country was not dependent on Canadian imports. He also mentioned that the US was very much capable of sourcing goods and raw materials domestically, reported Newsweek.
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Trump said, «We don't need their lumber, we don't need their energy, we don't need anything. We certainly don't want their automobiles,» as quoted in the report.
Why Trump Claims He’s «Tougher» on Canada
He also claimed that he was apparently «tougher on Canada than America's adversaries» because «it's meant to be our 51st state,» reported Newsweek.
Justin Trudeau Acknowledges Trump’s Threats as «Real»
Trudeau had mentioned that Trump's threats were «a real thing,» reported the Toronto Star. He claimed, «The Trump administration know how many critical minerals we have,» adding that «may be even why they keep talking about absorbing us and
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