RT-Engels: 10-02-2025,
Washington is essentially subsidizing the country to the tune of $200 billion a year, the US president has said
Canada is “not viable” as a country without continued economic support and military protection from the US, President Donald Trump has claimed.
Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One on Sunday, Trump doubled down on his idea of Canada joining the US as the 51st state, which Ottawa strongly opposes. The president argued that Canada does not “pay very much for military, and the reason they don’t pay much is they assume that we’re going to protect them… they don’t pay their share of military in NATO.”
“The other thing is, we subsidize them to the tune of about $200 billion a year. If we stopped doing that, if we stopped allowing them to make cars through tariffs and other things – cars, trucks, etc., what they make – they’re not viable as a country,” he added.
According to Trump, becoming the 51st state of the US would be “the greatest thing [Canada] could ever do.”
“It would be unbelievable. It would be a cherished state,” the president said, suggesting that the current border between the two countries is “artificial” and was drawn with a ruler.
In a separate interview with Fox News, Trump confirmed that he is serious about incorporating Canada into the US.