Justin Trudeau shuts down Trump’s ‘51st state’ threats: ‘Not going to happen’

Sign up for the daily Inside Washington email for exclusive US coverage and analysis sent to your inbox Get our free Inside Washington email Get our free Inside Washington email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Canada’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau reiterated on Sunday that his country would not give up sovereignty and join the United States, the latest surreal example of a world leader being forced to respond seriously to the unserious stated aspirations of the incoming president and his allies. Trudeau on Trump’s annexation threat: “My focus has to be not on something he's talking about that will not ever happen, but more on something that might well happen, that if he does choose to go forward with tariffs… we’re going to have a robust response.” — Inside with Jen Psaki January 12, 2025 at 12:24 PM Trump, in a social media post after his election victory in November, used the moniker of the “51st state” to refer to Canada — seemingly meant as a personal barb aimed at Trudeau, a liberal and Trump’s imagined political rival. When Psaki asked him whether the traded vitriol meant that world leaders should not take the president-elect’s territorial ambitions seriously, Trudeau replied: “No, no, I think we definitely need to take that seriously.” “My focus has to be not on something he's talking about that will not ever happen, but more on something that might well happen, that if he does choose to go forward with tariffs,” said the prime minister, pledging a “robust response” to any measures slapped on Canadian imports by the second Trump administration. “We are the number one export partner of about 35 different U.S. states.” Donald Trump has repeatedly referred to Canada as the 51st state while his allies embrace the idea of an imperialist United States CNN separately reported on Sunday that Canadian officials are preparing measures to impose tariffs on U.S. exports of steel, liquor, ceramics, and other goods.