Donald Trump once again antagonized Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau after saying Canada could become a U.S. state if the neighbors-to-the-north are unable to pay the 25 percent tariff he’s threatening.
The president-elect referred to the Canadian leader as ‘Governor Junstin Trudeau’ in a post to Truth Social.
He further trolled him by calling his country the ‘Great State of Canada.’
Earlier this month, reports emerged detailing Trump’s meeting with Trudeau in West Palm Beach, Florida on November 29.
Trudeau told Trump during their meeting that imposing such a large import tax on Canada would completely kill their economy.
To this, the president-elect suggested that Canada become the 51st U.S. state.
The prime minister and others at the table laughed nervously at the suggestion, according to sources who were in the meeting.
Trudeau also told Trump he wouldn’t want Canada to be part of the U.S. because it would be a ‘very liberal’ state. Trump then suggested that maybe it be two separate states, one more conservative and the other liberal, to balance it out.
A Canadian cabinet minister, Dominic LeBlanc, clarified that Trump’s comment and the ensuing back-and-forth was a ‘joke’ and was taken as such.
But now, the former and future U.S. president has repeatedly trolled Trudeau and referenced making Canada a state.
‘It was a pleasure to have dinner the other night with Governor Justin Trudeau of the Great State of Canada,’ Trump posted to Truth Social just after 12 a.m. on Tuesday morning.
‘I look forward to seeing the Governor again soon so that we may continue our in depth talks on Tariffs and Trade, the results of which will be truly spectacular for all!’ he added.
Earlier this month, Just a few days after the meeting, Trump also publicly embraced his joke by posting a picture of himself standing next to a Canadian flag overlooking a mountain range.
He captioned the image: ‘Oh Canada!’
Trump and Trudeau met in Florida last month.
It came after Trump posted to social media that he wants to impose a 25 percent tariff on Canada and Mexico if the North American neighbors do not take action to quell illegal crossings into the U.S. through shared borders.
Crossings from Canada represent a much smaller number of illegal foot traffic than that coming from Mexico, but Trump wants to punish both countries and pressure them to do more to help with the migrant crisis.
In the same post last month, Trump also threatened an additional 10 percent import tariff on China after Beijing did not impose a death penalty on drug dealers as was promised.
Part of Trump’s hardline policy proposals related to the border crisis is stopping the flow of deadly Chinese-produced fentanyl, which usually comes into the U.S. by drug traffickers bringing it over the southern border.