National News posted Dec 10, 2024 @ 05:35am by Iain Burns

Donald Trump mocks 'Governor Justin Trudeau of the Great State of Canada'

President-elect Donald Trump has taken yet another swipe at Canada and Justin Trudeau, this time referring to the country as a “state” and the prime minister as a “governor.”

In a post on his social media platform last night, Trump reminisced about his meeting with Trudeau last month.

“It was a pleasure to have dinner the other night with Governor Justin Trudeau of the Great State of Canada,” he wrote on Truth Social. “I look forward to seeing the Governor again soon so that we may continue our in depth talks on Tariffs and Trade, the results of which will be truly spectacular for all!”

It has already been reported that, during the duo’s dinner in Florida, Trump told Trudeau that Canada should become the 51st American state if it can’t survive without “ripping off” the United States on trade, in an apparent reference to Canada’s trade surplus with the US.

In an interview with NBC News published on the weekend, Trump said the US is “subsidizing” Canada and Mexico, adding: “If we’re going to subsidize them, let them become a state.”

Last week, Trump posted an AI-generated image of himself standing next to a Canadian flag, accompanied by the caption: “Oh Canada!”

But Trump's references to the American annexation of Canada are merely jokes, Public Safety Minister Dominic LeBlanc, who attended the dinner in Florida last month, has said.

It comes after Trump shocked Canada and Mexico by threatening to impose a blanket 25 per cent tariff on all goods coming into the US from the two countries.

Speaking on Monday, Trudeau said such a tariff would be “absolutely devastating” for Canada’s economy and result in “horrific losses.” Americans, too, would suffer, the prime minister insisted.

But he also said the key was not to “freak out” as Trump, who won a convincing victory in the November election, attempts to spread “chaos” in Canada.

With the US having “so many diverging interests,” he added, it’s possible to make life difficult for the governing Republican Party. That could mean using “carefully targeted” tariffs that would be “politically impactful” for Trump and his followers.