‘I think it is a great idea’: Trump’s bizarre proposal for Canada blurs the lines between leadership and trolling

Donald Trump continues pushing his bizarre proposal that Canada become the 51st state, leaving many perplexed about the purpose of his trolling.

Since his re-election to the presidency, Trump has begun trolling Canada with jokes (or possibly threats) of making the country part of the United States. The trolling began with Trump’s threats to impose outlandishly high tariffs on the country because he blames it for the flow of migrants into the United States. The president-elect proposed 25% tariffs on imports from Canada and Mexico until the countries tighten their border control. His tariff plans have been largely condemned, considering they will cause the prices of goods manufactured outside the U.S. to jump and could spark trade wars with other countries. Canada’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau expressed concern over the tariffs, warning Trump would be hurting both Canadians and Americans with his plan.

Trudeau and Trump recently met, presumably to negotiate on tariffs. At the meeting, Trump reportedly joked about how Canada could avoid tariffs by becoming the 51st state. While Trudeau laughed off the joke, Trump has only doubled down on the bizarre proposal in the days since.

Donald Trump continues trolling Canada

Trump was on one of his late-night Truth Social rants again when he once more floated the idea of annexing Canada. At 3:30 AM on December 18, Trump expressed annoyance at the U.S. “subsidizing” Canada “to the tune of $100,000,000.” He then went on to claim that “many Canadians” want Canada to “become the 51st state.” It’s an odd claim, considering many Canadians’ have condemned his jokes and expressed concern over his bizarre proposals. However, Trump concluded, “I think it’s a great idea. 51st State!!!”

Trump has made similar claims before about the U.S. “subsidizing” Mexico and Canada for hundreds of billions of dollars. It isn’t entirely clear what Trump means. Still, it’s possible he’s referencing a $98 billion merchandise trade deficit mentioned seven years ago by Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer. However, the figure was likely inaccurate due to the failure to take into account the services trade. Meanwhile, many feel that Trump’s incessant comments about making Canada a state are going too far. It is just one of many statements he has made trolling the country, including making comments about the “great state of Canada” and “Governor Trudeau.”

No one is certain what the point of his fixation on making Canada a state is. While it certainly appears to be straight-up trolling, it may also be part of his aggressive political strategy to intimidate and foster chaos in Canada. His jabs at Canada and Trudeau come as the country is already experiencing internal strife, as evidenced by the abrupt resignation of Finance Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland. Even if this is a sort of political strategy, it’s a risky game to play with one of America’s allies.