Prime Minister Mark Carney of Canada has stated categorically that Canada is not for sale, regardless of President Trump’s desire for the country to join the United States as the 51st state.
For national security reasons, Trump has often mentioned purchasing Greenland and the Panama Canal and has stated his desire for Canada to join the United States. But, as Carney indicated, the issue of Canada is not negotiable.
“Having met with the owners of Canada over the course of the campaign the last several months, it’s not for sale,” Carney stated anew during Tuesday’s White House briefing. Never going for sale, but there is potential in our relationship and the things we can create. We have done this before, and as the president mentioned, it’s in the interest of national security; moreover, my administration is determined to significantly increase funding for Canadian defense and strengthen our alliance with them.
The president stated “never say never” when asked about Canada’s potential admission as a state, despite his acknowledgment of the country’s increased spending on military protection.
“I’ve had many, many things that were not doable, and they ended up being doable,” he added.
Carney later clarified that Canada’s position on the matter will remain unchanged.
“Respectfully, Canadians’ view on this is not going to change on the 51st state,” added Carney.
This exchange follows Trump’s April interview with Time magazine, in which he denied accusing himself of “trolling” when he brought up the prospect of Canada joining the United States. The only option, according to Trump, who spoke with Time’s Eric Cortellessa, is for Canada to become a state because the United States is “losing” money supporting it.
In an interview with the magazine, Trump stated, “We’re taking care of their military.” We are attending to their every need; we have no need for them to produce automobiles for us. And we really don’t want them to manufacture our automobiles. An automaker of our own choosing is our goal. Their lumber is unnecessary for us. Their vitality is unnecessary for us. Nothing from Canada is required of us. The only way this can work, in my opinion, is if Canada becomes a state.
Trump denied in an interview with NBC’s Kristen Welker that he would use military action to make Canada a state, but he did say that he will keep pushing for the idea. The interview aired on Sunday.
“Well, I think we’re not going to ever get to that point,” he added. “It could happen.”
As part of the same interview, Trump reaffirmed Greenland’s critical importance to American national defense. President Trump has often shown a strong desire to secure Greenland, despite the island nation’s claims that it is pursuing independence from Denmark and has no interest in joining the United States. This is especially true in light of the growing influence of Russia and China in the Arctic.
“Greenland is a possible subject for something to happen,” Trump told NBC. “I’ll be honest, we need that for national and international security.”