US President-elect Donald Trump suggested that Canada should become the US’ 51st state, but a Canadian minister insists it was just a joke.
Trump reportedly made the comments on November 29 during dinner with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and other government officials at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Palm Beach, Florida. The meeting occurred just days after Trump took to social media and threatened a 25% tariff on products from Mexico and Canada unless both countries tightened their borders to prevent drug trafficking and illegal migration.
A source told Fox News that Trump allegedly told Trudeau that if he could not meet his demands “without ripping the US off in trade,” then Canada could perhaps become a state or two with Trudeau as governor.
The comments certainly sparked controversy, but Public Safety Minister Dominic LeBlanc insisted that Trump was only joking.
While speaking with reporters on Parliament Hill before a weekly cabinet meeting on December 3, he said it was “not the context at all.”
Productive meeting at Mar-a-Lago yesterday evening with the Prime Minister and President Trump. We had a positive discussion about shared border security priorities, including working together to combat fentanyl trafficking.
🇨🇦🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/FV0TmzFA7X— Dominic LeBlanc (@DLeBlancNB) November 30, 2024
“It was a three-hour social evening at the president’s residence in Florida on a long weekend on American Thanksgiving,” said LeBlanc. “The conversation was going to be lighthearted. The president was telling jokes. The president was teasing us, of course, on that issue. It is in no way a serious comment.”
He added that they had a productive conversation about border security.
“But the fact that there’s a warm, cordial relationship between the two leaders and the president is able to joke like that for us was a positive thing,” he said.
When pressed about exactly what Trump said during dinner, LeBlanc said there was no transcript as no one took notes during the discussions.
“It was a social evening, and it wasn’t in a meeting in a boardroom with 10 bureaucrats keeping notes,” he stated. “It was a social evening, and there were moments where it was entertaining and funny and moments where we were able to do what we think was some good work for Canada.”
US Senator Bernie Sanders shared his thoughts on Trump’s comment.
Trump has suggested that Canada become the 51st state in our union.
Does that mean that we can adopt the Canadian health care system and guarantee health care to all, lower the cost of prescription drugs, and spend 50% less per capita on health care?
I’m all for it. https://t.co/Nwkk7lykXd
— Bernie Sanders (@BernieSanders) December 3, 2024
Not everyone saw the humour in Trump’s jokes.
It was however highly offensive
— TorGal (@ReclutadoraVic) December 3, 2024
It’s deeply unfunny
— Kindness is an ARMY⁷ (@NgmailSg) December 3, 2024
The problem with Trump is that he tells exactly what he thinks by disguising it as a joke
— Alain Bard (@AlainBard) December 3, 2024
What are your thoughts on this? Let us know in the comments.