Trump Insists He's Serious About Making Canada the 51st State

In a move that has sparked both ridicule and alarm north of the border, President Donald Trump reaffirmed he is not joking about the idea of Canada becoming the 51st state of the United States.

In an interview published Friday by Time magazine, Trump dismissed suggestions that his comments were mere political trolling. “Actually, no, I’m not,” Trump said when pressed by a reporter about whether his repeated calls for Canada’s absorption into the U.S. were made in jest. “I think Canada — what you said, ‘that one, I might be trolling’ — but I’m really not trolling. Canada is an interesting case.”

Trump’s comments, made during a sit-down Tuesday, reignited controversy that has been simmering for months. The president has frequently argued that the United States is disadvantaged in its relationship with Canada, citing persistent trade deficits and claiming America no longer needs Canadian goods such as automobiles, lumber, or energy.

“We’re taking care of their military. We’re taking care of every aspect of their lives, and we don’t need them to make cars for us,” Trump told Time. “In fact, we don’t want them to make cars for us. We want to make our own cars. We don’t need their lumber. We don’t need their energy. We don’t need anything from Canada. And I say the only way this thing really works is for Canada to become a state.”

Over recent months, Trump has consistently floated the notion of eliminating the U.S.-Canada border, often referring to it as arbitrary. In jest—or perhaps not—he has mockingly referred to former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau as "Governor Trudeau," a remark that drew swift backlash from Canadian officials.

Despite Trump’s insistence that he is serious, Canadian leaders have made it clear the proposal is a non-starter. Trudeau, as well as the various candidates vying to replace him, have unequivocally rejected any notion of Canada giving up its sovereignty. Canadian commentators have characterized the idea as not only impractical but offensive to the nation’s identity and history.

Trump’s musings about expanding U.S. territory are not new. During his first term, he famously floated the idea of purchasing Greenland, an autonomous territory under the Kingdom of Denmark. The proposal was immediately rebuffed by Danish leaders, who called the suggestion “absurd.” Nevertheless, Trump revisited the topic in his latest Time interview, suggesting that Greenland would be "very well off" under U.S. governance and arguing that acquiring the territory would strengthen American national and international security.

For now, Trump's rhetoric about a "Greater United States" remains largely theoretical. There is no formal proposal before Congress or diplomatic efforts underway to annex Canada or Greenland. Yet the president’s comments add a layer of unpredictability to U.S. foreign relations, particularly as he campaigns for re-election.

Critics argue that Trump's statements undermine the seriousness of American diplomacy, framing international relationships in transactional, often patronizing terms. Supporters, however, see his remarks as part of a broader strategy to assert American strength and self-reliance in global affairs.

Regardless of intent, Trump’s vision of Canada as the 51st state has added a new wrinkle to an already complex relationship between two of the world’s closest allies. With Canadian elections looming and U.S. campaign season heating up, it's clear the president’s words—whether trolling or not—are having real political consequences on both sides of the border.