Summarize this content to 2000 words in 6 paragraphs Donald Trump has been accused of “trolling” Canada after he shared an AI-generated image of himself standing in front of mountains and a Canadian flag on his Truth Social website, along with the caption “Oh Canada!”Trump’s post came after Fox News reported the president-elect suggested to Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau that “maybe Canada should become the 51st state” to avoid a proposed 25 percent tariff on all goods from Canada entering the United States.On November 25 Trump announced he would impose a 25 percent tariff on “ALL products” from Canada and Mexico “until such time as Drugs, in particular Fentanyl, and all Illegal Aliens stop this Invasion of our Country!” Just days later, on November 29, Trudeau flew to Trump’s Mar-a-Lago residence in Florida where he had what he described as an “excellent conversation” with the incoming president.
Left, U.S. President-elect Donald Trump speaks at a House Republicans Conference meeting at the Hyatt Regency on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., on November 13, 2024. Right, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is seen in…
Left, U.S. President-elect Donald Trump speaks at a House Republicans Conference meeting at the Hyatt Regency on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., on November 13, 2024. Right, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is seen in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on November 19, 2024. Trump reportedly suggested to Trudeau that Canada could become the U.S.’s 51st state to avoid tariffs.
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However, Fox News suggested the meeting was at times tense, with Trudeau telling Trump “that new tariffs would kill the Canadian economy.” In response the network said “Trump joked to him that if Canada can’t survive without ripping off the U.S. to the tune of $100 billion a year, then maybe Canada should become the 51st state and Trudeau could become its governor.”Trump has since 2018 claimed the U.S. loses around $100 billion to Canada each year on trade. However, according to independent website factcheck.org, this figure includes re-exports, goods that come into the U.S. from a third country before moving on to Canada, and only counts trade in goods, excluding services. Any goods deficit is a result of certain Canadian raw materials, such as oil and timber, being sought by American companies.Trump made his “Oh Canada!” Truth Social post on Tuesday, where it accumulated over 9,000 shares and 43,000 likes.It sparked a heated social media reaction on both sides of the U.S.-Canada border. George Behizy, a Trump supporter with over 530,000 X followers shared a screenshot of the incoming president’s post on the platform adding: “President Trump just posted this…I think he’s serious about making Canada our 51st State. 😂”
The “Canada Proud” X account, which describes itself as “AGAINST the Trudeau liberals” and has 258,000 followers, also shared a screenshot of the president-elect’s post adding: “Trump just posted this to his social media. Is he trolling Trudeau?”Another Canada-affiliated account, titled “Tokyo Rosie,” shared a screenshot of Trump’s post alongside a short video of a man convulsing as though having a fit. They wrote: “Trump trolls Canada on social media. Meanwhile, the left in Canada…”Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders jokingly posted: “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.”However, “Republicans against Trump,” a group which has over 777,000 followers, wrote: “There’s nothing funny or clever about the President-elect repeatedly ‘joking’ that Canada should become part of the United States. It’s going to be four long years with this deranged buffoon in the White House.”Newsweek contacted Donald Trump’s presidential transition team and Global Affairs Canada, the Canadian government department that handles diplomatic relations, for comment via email on Wednesday outside of regular office hours.Trump’s latest post isn’t the first time he has toyed with the territorial expansion of the United States. In 2019 the then-president confirmed he was interested in purchasing Greenland, an autonomous Danish territory with a population of 56,000 people. However, the idea was quickly shot down by Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen who called it “absurd” adding: “Greenland is not for sale. That’s where the conversation ends.”
