Summary

Donald Trump reiterated his claim that Canada would be better as the U.S.’s 51st state, citing trade imbalances and lower taxes.

He also announced new 25% tariffs on steel and aluminum imports, including from Canada, despite a recent 30-day reprieve.

Canadian PM Justin Trudeau has not formally responded, but a government source said they await official confirmation.

Trump criticized Canada’s defense spending and border security, despite recent Canadian commitments.

Canada previously retaliated against similar tariffs in 2018 before a 2019 trade deal resolved the dispute.

  • cultsuperstar@lemmy.world
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    9 hours ago

    Why would Canada join the US, only to be rewarded with a shitty health care system and a low national minimum wage?

  • Hemingways_Shotgun
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    10 hours ago

    I unapologetically woke up this morning hoping to read that someone took a successful shot at him during the Superbowl.

    Put me on whatever list you wish.

  • Hikermick@lemmy.world
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    14 hours ago

    This man shits worthless click bait out of his mouth daily, why does media fall for it?

    • kandoh@reddthat.com
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      13 hours ago

      Fall for it? They’re grateful he’s made their job insanely easy. They used yo have to investigate things and then risk running afoul of the powerful. Now they just have to print whatever the latest outrageous bullshit comes out of Donald’s mouth and reap the clicks and ad dollars.

  • buzz86us@lemmy.world
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    15 hours ago

    What’s in it for Canada? Expensive ineffective healthcare? Why would they go for this?

    • azimir@lemmy.ml
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      12 hours ago

      Reduced quality of life? Greater danger of being shot in a school? Shorter life expectancy? Lower quality food? And imperial president instead of a democratic one?

      I’m not seeing the upsides for Canada.

  • gen/Eric Computers@lemmy.zip
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    13 hours ago

    How would a whole country be a single state? Wouldn’t it become 13 states (or however many provinces/territories Canada has)?

    • TheRealKuni@midwest.social
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      13 hours ago

      No no, that would give too many senators to people who understand the value of universal healthcare. Can’t have that.

    • SecondaryAnnetagonist@lemmy.blahaj.zone
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      12 hours ago

      Giving them more than two senators might lead to a senate that isn’t perpetually gridlocked. That makes them dangerously close to being able to pass progressive legislation instead of nothing but mandatory funding bills with 37 pages worth of riders and pork.

      • mercano@lemmy.world
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        6 hours ago

        Everyone assumes Canada is super liberal country just because of universal healthcare. They forget that Alberta is basically snowy Texas, and the other prairie provinces have more in common with the Midwest than New York.

  • ubergeek@lemmy.today
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    18 hours ago

    I think he seriously under-estimates how many Americans will side with Canada, with force.

    • NotSteve_
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      11 hours ago

      I can imagine we’d end up with a bigger army than the US if Canadian service guaranteed citizenship

      • azimir@lemmy.ml
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        12 hours ago

        Poppies. They’d love for you to have a fe poppies on hand. They earned those the hardest way possible.

    • towelie@lemmy.world
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      17 hours ago

      He also hasn’t considered the destruction that 30 million occupied dissidents (from a country known for their prolific war crimes) can unleash on their oppressor.

        • towelie@lemmy.world
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          15 hours ago

          Yeah I realized that as I was typing it. Our population grew so damn fast. Granted, three million or so of those don’t have citizenship or permanent residency, and are a rotation of temporary students or workers. A lot are expected to leave (a lot are also expected to becomes PRs).

          3/4 people resisting is probably a pipe dream anyway, so 30 million dissidents from Canada alone isn’t likely in a worst case Ontario.

          • M0oP0o@mander.xyz
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            15 hours ago

            So you are saying (assuming every US resident will go along with this) that we just have to take out about 10 American’s each?

            I like those odds.

            • chellybeans@lemmy.world
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              9 hours ago

              Hey, hey, I’m not going to be against you so what do I need to wave to make sure I’m not one of the 10?

              • M0oP0o@mander.xyz
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                8 hours ago

                Honestly? I think just not supporting a war (trade or otherwise) with your long time ally will go quite a way. War in a far away land is one thing, war with your neighbour is another thing all together. As long as americans don’t just shrug and pretend everything is normal this whole idea will go no where.

                On the other hand if it does go in the most stupid direction, prepare for blackouts and attacks on any and all infrastructure. This is not a threat but just a reasonable expectation of a nations activity when in this situation.

          • morbidcactus
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            13 hours ago

            My brain still thinks 30-35 million so all good, was thinking you might be meaning a dissident number as I was writing anyhow, meshes pretty well with that Angus Reid poll about joining the states.

  • yarr@feddit.nl
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    15 hours ago

    This plan leaves out the fact that the majority of Canadians don’t want to join. They may have their challenges right now, but there are some things they aren’t willing to give up, like nationalized health care and national identity. I suspect many Canadians will fight to the death over this, the same way Americans would fight if forced to join Canada. They are our neighbors and that’s about as close as people want to get.

    • Drivebyhaiku@lemmy.world
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      13 hours ago

      Yup, already had the “flee or stand and die” convo with my partner a few weeks ago. I am firmly willing to risk death to defend the progress we’ve made as a Province and Nation. We aren’t perfect and are early in the process but we’re trying to recon with our history of colonial genocide and embrace a truer multiculturalism which the US refuses to even acknowledge. We have made commitments to the health and well-being of all citizens, not just the productive bodies which fuel the markets. It’s incomplete but aspirational and walking it back would be a disgrace.

      The American democracy is an outdated shambles that has fallen into ruin and I will not be bound by it by choice. There is no freedom or opportunity the USA can offer us. Only more oppression on rights we already have enshrined.

  • fox2263@lemmy.world
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    20 hours ago

    He doesn’t treat his own states any good why would Canada fare any better

  • Jyek@sh.itjust.works
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    12 hours ago

    More flooding the zone. He won’t do this. He is just stiring up more media to distract from him pickpocketing the whole country. His real deviousness is the sovereign fund play. He wants to take taxpayer dollars, which he is actively trying to raise for everyone making less than $500k a year, and put it into an investment fund that buys American stocks. Effectively, he wants to take money from 99% of Americans and just give it to the largest corporations. Everything else he is talking about is just distraction from that fact.

  • brucethemoose@lemmy.world
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    21 hours ago

    Hey, uh, if he wants another state…

    What about Puerto Rico?

    I’d love to hear the excuse against that vs. Greenland and Canada.

    • shawn1122@lemm.ee
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      16 hours ago

      Theres a reason why he isn’t making the same threats against Mexico.

      There’s a reason he wants to resettle Palestinians before redeveloping Gaza.

  • JayDee@lemmy.sdf.org
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    20 hours ago

    He’s currently trying to get a 51st state (Canada would need to be at least 6 or more, in all honesty), but it looks like he’s at risk of losing some states from where I’m sitting.

    • Damionsipher@lemmy.world
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      18 hours ago

      The only way Canada would join the union would be as an occupied territory, and we would do everything possible to fuck shit up from within.

      • shiroininja@lemmy.world
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        18 hours ago

        If he tried to invade Canada, I think he’d quickly be fighting a war on two fronts, because sane Americans like myself and others that are organizing aren’t going to just let that happen. Hopefully, if half our military hasn’t lost their minds too, they’ll join us.

        • acargitz
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          5 hours ago

          To Americans on the ground invading Canada or even flying over and bombing, it would feel extremely traumatic. Our cities, suburbs, etc look basically the same. Outside Quebec, we speak the same language. To them it would feel like invading their own country, it would feel like a civil war. I cannot imagine morale holding up for any length of time.

        • Hemingways_Shotgun
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          14 hours ago

          Multiple fronts I’d imagine.

          I’d easily imagine Mexico declaring and starting to fuck shit up at the southern border.

          Depending on when it starts, potentially embargoes from Europe. (Right now I think they’re still too skittish, but if Trump invades after he’s spent another year or so destroying international relations, I don’t doubt Europe would slap embargoes on him. At some point, those countries that host American bases would tell them to fuck off back home which in the short term would be bad for Canada since it would be reinforcing the American military, but in the long term destroying America’s global reach.

          I’d accept casualties if it meant taking care of American imperialism long-term.

        • Tiger@sh.itjust.works
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          18 hours ago

          Yeah I’m American but live abroad, if he tried that shit I’d fight for the defense of Canada.