Trump declares Canada will 'cease to exist' without US help and must join as the 51st state

Edited by Yiannis Damellos

Source: Jeremiah Hassel for the Mirror

With another furious online rant, Donald Trump responded to Justin Trudeau's vow to never back down on tariffs, by saying that Canada will "cease to exist as a viable country" without U.S. subsidy. On the 1st of February, the U.S. president ignited a bitter trade war with its closest allies Mexico and Canada, after he imposed hefty levies on both nations. After the Canadian Prime Minister declared he would not back down, Trump suggested on Sunday morning that Canada should become "our cherished 51st state." On his Truth Social platform, he wrote, "We pay hundreds of Billions of Dollars to SUBSIDIZE Canada. Why? There is no reason." 

He continued, "We don't need anything they have. We have unlimited Energy, should make our own cars, and have more lumber than we can ever use." This is another Trump lie. The US is importing cheap oil from Canada, and this was one of the main reasons Trump put a tariff of only 10% on oil imports so he does not dissatisfy his industry buddies as much as the rest of Americans who will see the prices of all imported goods hit the ceiling. 

Only a villain would say that

Then he added, "Without this massive subsidy, Canada ceases to exist as a viable Country. Harsh but true!" He concluded, "Therefore, Canada should become our Cherished 51st State. Much lower taxes, and far better military protection for the people of Canada - AND NO TARIFFS!". 

In the category of blackmailers, History will write that Trump was a master. 

But Canada is not Lesotho or Zimbabwe. As any sovereign industrial nation would do against action that defies bilateral signed agreements and WTO regulations, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau imposed matching charges on imported U.S. goods. So did Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum. 

Trudeau announced "far-reaching" 25% tariffs on American products, affecting $106.6 billion in value, including beer and wine, household appliances, and sporting goods. Trudeau vowed to "not back down in standing up for Canadians" but warned of real consequences for people on both sides of the border, reports the Express US. "We don't want to be here. We didn't ask for this," he declared. "The actions taken by the White House split us apart instead of bringing us together." In a further nudge to national solidarity, he urged Canadians to "choose Canadian products and services rather than American ones."

American Alcohol on the Spotlight

In Canada, the sale and distribution of alcohol is controlled by the government. After Trump enforced his tariffs on Canada, the Canadian province of Ontario decided to pull all American alcohol from its government-operated liquor shelves beginning on Tuesday. Furthermore, according to a statement by Premier Doug Ford that was posted to X on Sunday, stores operated by the Liquor Control Board of Ontario will also take any U.S. products out of its catalog, blocking other Ontario-based restaurants and retailers from ordering or restocking U.S. products. Every year, LCBO sells nearly $1 billion worth of American wine, beer, spirits and seltzers. Not anymore," said Ford.

In British Columbia, where resentment about Trump boils and the government is controlled by the Social Democratic Party NDP, Canadian wrath was directed specifically against the so-called Red States. British Columbia's Premier David Eby directed his province's own Liquor Distribution Branch to "immediately stop buying American liquor from 'red states' and remove top-selling 'red-state' brands from the shelves." Red states are those that voted Republican in the 2024 election that saw Trump ascend once more to the highest office in America, beating former Vice President Kamala Harris, a Democrat.

Other Canadian premiers announced retaliatory measures to the tariffs, too, including Nova Scotia Premier Tim Houston, who directed the Nova Scotia Liquor Corporation to remove all American alcohol from shelves on Tuesday.

Tariffs are a unilateral direct violation of USMCA

Economists on all sides of the border have warned that the tariffs imposed by Trump will significantly increase the price of goods for Americans, Canadians, and Mexicans alike despite Trump's campaign promises of lowering the cost of commodities and services for his people. Some key political figures have suggested, including Independent  Senator Sanders from Vermont that the tariffs may be illegal, as they undermine a previous open trade agreement signed by the North American countries called the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA). According to the Office of the United States Trade Representative's Executive Office of the President, the USMCA was designed to be "a mutually beneficial win for North American workers, farmers, ranchers, and businesses." As the page reads: "The Agreement creates more balanced, reciprocal trade supporting high-paying jobs for Americans and grow[s] the North American economy". That agreement took effect during Trump's first term, starting on July 1, 2020. It guarantees mostly free trade between the countries — but the tariffs are in direct violation of that.