President-elect Donald Trump reportedly joked to Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau last week that if Canada can't deal with his aggressive tariff plans, it should just become part of the United States. He is said to have said.
President Trump, 78, made the joke Friday during a three-hour dinner with Prime Minister Trudeau at his Mar-a-Lago mansion. The meeting followed the president-elect's threat to impose a 25% tariff on Canadian imports.
During a sit-in in Palm Beach, Florida, Trudeau, 52, implored President Trump not to introduce new taxes because they would “kill” Canada's economy. According to Fox news.
“So your country has to swindle America out of $100 billion to survive?” Trump reportedly responded, referring to the U.S. trade deficit with Canada.
The president-elect then joked that Canada could become the 51st province with Trudeau as governor.
However, President Trump acknowledged that “Prime Minister'' is a more appropriate title for Prime Minister Trudeau than “Governor.''
A source at the dinner told Fox News that Trudeau and others in the room laughed “nervously” at the comment.
When someone at the table pointed out that Canada would be a “very liberal province,” the president-elect suggested that Canada could be split into two provinces, a liberal province and a conservative province.
President Trump last month said he would impose tariffs on Canadian goods unless Canada cracks down on illegal immigration and drug smuggling.
President Trump reiterated his demands at the dinner and said he expected change from America's northern neighbor by Jan. 20, the day he was sworn into office.
The president-elect said in a post on Truth Social on Saturday that his conversation with Prime Minister Trudeau was “very productive.”
Trump's transition team did not immediately respond to The Post's request for comment.
