Trump escalates tariff threat and suggestion to turn Canada into 51st state

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Canadian politicians have dismissed Trump’s 51st state remark as a joke, but he might be more serious than they think.

In a Meet the Press interview with NBC News journalist Kristen Welker, which aired on December 8, Trump doubled down on tariff threats and once again suggested that Canada should become another US state.

Early in the interview, Trump emphasized that he was “a big believer in tariffs” — a sentiment that he made clear on social media where he said he would “sign all necessary all documents to charge Mexico and Canada a 25 percent tariff on ALL products coming into the United States, and its ridiculous Open Borders.”

“I think tariffs are the most beautiful word. I think they’re beautiful; it’s going to make us rich,” Trump told Welker.

He also stated that the US annually subsidizes Canada for US$100 million and Mexico for US$300 million.

“We shouldn’t be subsidizing them. Why are we subsidizing these countries?” he asked. “If we’re going to subsidize them, let them become a state. We’re subsidizing Mexico, and we’re subsidizing Canada, and we’re subsidizing many countries all over the world.”

He added that tariffs would create a “fair playing field.”

Watch the interview below:

Welker then asked, “Are you actually going to impose these tariffs, or are they a negotiating tactic?”

Trump responded by saying that “millions of people” are pouring into the US through Canada and Mexico. He also stated that Prime Minister Justin Trudeau flew to Florida seconds after they spoke on the phone.

“I spoke with Justin Trudeau; in fact, he flew to Mar-a-Lago within 15 seconds after the call ended. It was at Mar-a-Lago; we’re having dinner talking about it; I said, ‘You have to close up your borders because they’re coming in the northern border too, a lot,” said Trump.

He then said that drugs have been pouring through those borders “at levels never seen before.”

“They’re just pouring in. We can’t have open borders,” stated Trump. “I said to the president of Mexico and to Justin Trudeau, ‘If it doesn’t stop, I’m going to put tariffs on your country at about 25 percent.”

He continued that tariffs have “many purposes.”

“If properly used, [tariffs] are a powerful tool, not only economically, but also for getting other things outside of economics,” said Trump.

Some netizens agreed, with one stating that Mexico and Canada should “step up and contribute.”

However, many were against Trump’s suggestions, with one X user calling it “another attempt to grab headlines.”

What are your thoughts on this? Let us know in the comments.

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