Trump Threatens Tariffs, Proposes Merging Canada With US Using Economic Force

Florida: US President-elect Donald Trump, on Tuesday, made a bold statement suggesting that the United States and Canada could become one entity, eliminating the "artificially drawn line" between them. "Canada and the United States, that would really be something," Trump said during a news conference at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Palm Beach, Florida. “You get rid of the artificially drawn line and you take a look at what it looks like ... and it would also be much better financial security," Trump stated, suggesting that Canada should become the 51st state and continued to threaten major tariffs on both Canada and Mexico.

Trump also criticised American spending on Canadian goods, stating, "Why are we supporting a country with $200+ BILLION a year? They should be a state!" He threatened to impose a 25% tariff on all imports from Canada and Mexico unless the two countries addressed border security concerns.

Trump’s remarks about Canada have been sharp and critical in recent weeks. On Tuesday, he commented, “You get rid of the artificially drawn line and you take a look at what it looks like... and it would also be much better for national security.” He added that the US is currently spending "hundreds of billions" to protect Canada and criticised trade deficits with the country.

The President-elect jokingly referred to Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau as "governor" and even quipped about hockey legend Wayne Gretzky becoming the "governor" of Canada if it were to become the 51st US state. Trump’s comments come after Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced his intention to step down, amid party turmoil over how to handle Trump’s aggressive trade policies. 

Trump, who will officially take office on January 20, assured that he would not use military force against Canada, but instead, would rely on "economic force." However, he declined to rule out military action to reclaim control of the Panama Canal and acquire the Danish territory of Greenland, citing "economic security" concerns.

In a separate statement, Trump proposed renaming the Gulf of Mexico to "The Gulf of America," calling it a “beautiful name.”

This was not the first time Trump suggested severe economic measures. He pointed out, “We don’t need cars, we don’t need the lumber... We don’t need anything they have,” suggesting that the US could manage without imports from its neighbours.

Trump mentioned, with apparent seriousness, that the US could consider regaining control over the Panama Canal and acquiring Greenland. When asked by a reporter whether he would use military force to achieve this, Trump responded, "No, I can’t assure you on either of those two, but I can say this: we need them for economic security."