'When I Say They Should Be A State, I Mean That': Trump Makes The Case For Bringing Canada Into U.S.

9 hours ago

Speaking to reporters in the Oval Office, President Trump called for Canada to become the 51st state.

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Transcript

00:00The Press.

00:03The Press.

00:06Is that something that is under consideration by you?

00:09Well, people are coming to me and talking about

00:11tariffs, and a lot of people are asking me if

00:13they could have exceptions.

00:15And once you do that for one, you have to do that

00:17for all.

00:18So, I mean, generally, I did something

00:21interestingly during two weeks ago.

00:25I gave the American car companies a break because

00:29it would have been unfair if I didn't.

00:31And everybody said, oh, he changed his mind on

00:33tariffs.

00:34I didn't change my mind.

00:34I helped our, you know, sort of big three, big

00:38four.

00:39I helped some of the American companies.

00:41And instead of taking it properly, they said, oh,

00:43he changed it.

00:44I don't change.

00:45But the word flexibility is an important word.

00:47Sometimes it's flexibility.

00:49So there'll be flexibility.

00:50But basically, it's reciprocal so that if

00:55China is charging us 50 percent or 30 percent or

00:5920 percent, and I don't mean China, I mean

01:01anybody, any country, Canada.

01:04Nobody knows that Canada is charging our dairy

01:06farmers.

01:07They have 270 percent tariffs.

01:10Nobody knows that.

01:12Nobody knows that.

01:14They have up to 400 percent.

01:16They have a couple of tariffs at 400 percent.

01:20Nobody knows that.

01:20Nobody talks about that.

01:22And remember, with Canada, we don't need

01:24their cars.

01:25We don't need their lumber.

01:26We don't need their energy.

01:27We don't need anything from Canada.

01:29And yet, it costs us $200 billion a year in subsidy

01:32to keep Canada afloat.

01:34So when I say they should be a state, I mean that.

01:36I really mean that.

01:37Because we can't be expected to carry a

01:42country that is right next to us on our border.

01:47It would be a great state.

01:48It would be a cherished state.

01:50The taxes for Canadian citizens would go down in

01:54less than half.

01:56They don't spend money on military because they

01:58think we're going to protect them.

02:00There are many things that they do, like ice

02:02breakers.

02:03They want us to provide ice breakers for them.

02:05Oh, that's wonderful.

02:07So, Canada, they've been very tough traders to

02:11Canada.

02:12I want to just tell you, all the people, they're

02:13tough traders.

02:14They trade very tough.

02:16And, you know, the expression I use is, some

02:20people don't have the cards.

02:21I used that expression about a week and a half

02:23ago, right?

02:24Somebody was negotiating who didn't have the cards

02:26who's now, I think, saying that he wants to do

02:29it.

02:30And he's I think we're going to have a big deal

02:31on that very special something.

02:33We got to make a deal on that.

02:35But Canada has been a very nasty negotiator

02:38against the United States, took advantage of the

02:40United States for a long time.

02:42But nobody knows that they were getting 270 percent

02:45tariffs on dairy products.

02:48And I don't think I've heard you say this at all

02:51the talk about Canada becoming the 51st state.

02:54Are you concerned that if they became the 51st

02:57state, they would be a very, very blue state.

03:01Very, very big and very, very blue.

03:02President Trump No, they might be.

03:04But it would, you know, you have that artificial

03:07line that goes that straight artificial that

03:09looked like it was drawn by a ruler, somebody with

03:12an, I don't mean a ruler like a king.

03:14I mean, like a ruler, like a ruler this way.

03:16And it's just an artificial line that was drawn in the sand, or in the ice.

03:23And can I tell you, Peter, just, you add that to this country, what a beautiful landmass,

03:29the most beautiful landmass anywhere in the world.

03:33And it was just cut off for whatever reason.

03:35It would be great.

03:36Now, is it liberal?

03:38Maybe.

03:39But, you know, a conservative, until I got involved, because I don't care who wins up

03:42there, I frankly probably would do better with the liberal than the conservative.

03:46If you want to know the truth, but just a little while ago, before I got involved and

03:51totally changed the election, which I don't care about, probably it's our advantage, actually.

03:58But the conservative was leading against, I call him Governor Trudeau.

04:03The conservative was leading by 35 points.

04:05So, you know, so I don't know about that.

04:08I think Canada is a place like a lot of other places.

04:11If you have a good candidate, the candidate is going to win.

'When I Say They Should Be A State, I Mean That': Trump Makes The Case For Bringing Canada Into U.S.

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