Trump invited Canada and Mexico to become the 51st and 52nd states

Only this will save them from raising trade tariffs by 25%, which Trump threatens to introduce on his first day in office

US President-elect Donald Trump has announced that he will stop providing financial support to Canada and Mexico. In case these countries want such support to continue, they should become the 51st and 52nd US states, respectively, he said in an interview with NBC News.

“We subsidize Canada by more than $100 billion a year, we subsidize Mexico by almost $300 billion. Why are we subsidizing these countries? Let them become new states,” Trump said.

This refers to the US trade deficit with these two countries, but Trump exaggerated the figures, as in 2023 the deficit was $41 billion with Canada and $162 billion with Mexico.

Trump’s remarks were made in the context of discussions about the introduction of 25% tariffs on trade with these countries.

Earlier, Trump promised that on his first day in office after his inauguration on January 20, he would impose 25% duties on goods from these two countries if their authorities did not make sufficient efforts to combat illegal migrants and drug trafficking.

In response, Mexican Economy Minister Marcelo Ebrard warned that such a move would lead to 400,000 job cuts in the United States and higher prices. According to him, American companies that manufacture products in Mexico will also be at risk, as the introduction of duties will effectively double taxes. For example, pickup trucks sold in the United States, 88% of which are assembled in the republic, will cost an average of $3,000 more.

For her part, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum threatened to increase duties in response.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau also responded to Trump’s statement by promising to strengthen border control measures to reduce the flow of illegal migration to the United States, and the country’s Minister of Public Security Dominique Leblanc said that drones and helicopters could be used for this purpose.

In addition, Trudeau met with Trump at his Mar-a-Lago residence in Florida on November 29 to discuss tariffs in person.

Fox News sources reported that the American president jokingly suggested that Canada become the 51st state of the United States, with Trudeau as governor.

Currently, the three countries have duty-free trade under the USMCA, signed by Trump during his first presidential term. The document is scheduled to be revised in 2026.