During the Christmas holiday, President-elect Donald Trump made a bold suggestion about Canada’s leadership, proposing that ice hockey legend Wayne Gretzky should run for Canadian Prime Minister. This is just one in a series of provocative comments about America’s northern neighbor.
Trump made the suggestion on Truth Social after a meeting with Gretzky, who is affectionately known in the ice hockey world as “The Great One”. Trump referred to Gretzky as the future “Governor of Canada”, highlighting his confidence in Gretzky’s potential political success. He even suggested that Canadians should “start a DRAFT WAYNE GRETZKY Movement.”
In addition to his comments about Gretzky, a native of Brantford, Canada, Trump has recently suggested the incorporation of Canada as the 51st U.S. state. During a dinner at Mar-a-Lago with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on November 30th, Trump proposed this idea in response to Trudeau’s concerns about his proposed 25% tariff on Canadian goods.
Canada’s new Finance Minister, Dominic LeBlanc, attempted to downplay Trump’s statehood comments. “The president was telling jokes. The president was teasing us. It was, of course, on that issue, in no way a serious comment,” he said.
Trump has been advocating for a 25% blanket tariff on imports from Canada and Mexico, unless they take steps to strengthen their border security measures. He asserts that the U.S. has a trade deficit exceeding $100 billion with Canada and that Canadian taxes could be reduced by “more than 60%” if it were to become a U.S. state.
On Christmas Day, Trump also made claims about the Panama Canal and expressed interest in Greenland, citing national security reasons. He ended his Christmas messages with thoughts on the election, stating, “We had the Greatest Election in the History of our Country, a bright light is now shining over the U.S.A. and, in 26 days, we will MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN. MERRY CHRISTMAS!”
Following these comments, two key members of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s cabinet, Foreign Affairs Minister Melanie Joly and Finance Minister Dominic LeBlanc, traveled to Palm Beach, Florida, on December 27. They met with Trump’s team to discuss border security and trade concerns ahead of the January 20 inauguration.
The ministers planned to focus on Canada’s efforts to combat fentanyl trafficking and illegal migration, as well as the potential negative impacts of Trump’s proposed 25% tariff on Canadian goods. Jean-Sébastien Comeau, director of communications for Minister LeBlanc, outlined these goals before the meeting.
Trump’s border czar, Tom Homan, had previously had positive preliminary discussions with the Canadian government. “The conversation I have in Canada, I couldn’t ask for a better conversation,” Homan said in an interview with CTV’s Power Play on December 19.
Amid these discussions, the Canadian government recently announced a $1.3 billion plan to enhance border security. Despite these ongoing talks, Trump continues to suggest the idea of Canadian statehood on social media. The Prime Minister’s Office has not directly responded to Trump’s repeated comments on this issue.
