U.S. President Donald Trump says he is “not trolling” about wanting to make Canada the 51st state, indicating that he is serious about American territorial expansion.
Trump sat down with Time magazine for an interview marking his first 100 days in office in his second term. The U.S. president was asked if he was “trolling” with his comments about seizing both Greenland and Canada.
“You’ve talked about acquiring Greenland, taking control of the Panama Canal, making Canada the 51st state. Maybe you’re trolling a little bit on that one. I don’t know,” the interviewer asked, according to a transcript of the interview posted online by Time magazine.
“Actually, no, I’m not,” Trump responded.
“I’m really not trolling. Canada is an interesting case.”
Trump then went on to falsely claim that the U.S. spends billions of dollars a year “supporting Canada” and repeated his barb at former prime minister Justin Trudeau, calling him “governor.”
“I asked a man who I called Governor Trudeau. I said, ‘Why? Why do you think we’re losing so much money supporting you? Do you think that’s right? Do you think that’s appropriate for another country to make it possible, for a country to sustain’ and he was unable to give me an answer,” Trump said.
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Trump then went on to claim that the U.S. is “taking care” of Canada’s military and “every aspect of their lives.”
He repeated his attacks on Canada’s automobile industry and repeated his claim that the U.S. does not need “anything from Canada.”
“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,” he said.
According to the U.S. trade representative, the U.S. imported US$412.7 billion worth of goods from Canada in 2024.
When asked if he wants to be remembered as a president who expanded U.S. territory, Trump said: “Wouldn’t mind.”
Trump also claimed that Greenland would be “very well off” as part of the United States.
“I think it’s important for us for national security and even international security,” he said.
Liberal Leader Mark Carney said Trump’s comments prove that the old U.S.-Canada relationship is over.
“The president’s latest comments are more proof, as if we needed any, that the old relationship with the United States that we’ve had is over. And it’s proof, and it’s a reminder, it’s a call to action that we need to chart a new path,” Carney said during a campaign event in Sault Ste. Marie, Ont.
Carney said Trump was trying to divide Canada through his words and actions.
“America wants our land, our resources, our water, our country, and we will fight them,” he said.
Carney addressed his phone call with Trump last month, in which both leaders agreed that whoever is elected Canada’s prime minister after the federal election will meet with Trump to negotiate a way out of Trump’s tariffs.
“The conclusions of this discussion with the president were clear, that he respected Canada as a sovereign country, that we will meet as two sovereign nations — the prime minister and the president — after Monday’s election to have comprehensive discussion on the economic and security partnership. I advised him that we would be retaliating against any auto tariffs,” he said.
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