The notion of annexing Canada and integrating it as the 51st U.S. state has long been a recurring and openly discussed topic by President Donald Trump. This idea has been consistently rebuffed by former Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his successor, Mark Carney, who has clearly stated his position. The current state of affairs concerning Canada’s potential annexation remains a subject of interest.
On Tuesday, during an interview at the NATO Summit in the Netherlands, Carney was questioned about whether President Trump continued to advocate for annexing Canada. The Canadian Prime Minister responded, stating, “He’s not.”
Carney conveyed to CNN’s Christiane Amanpour that Trump “admires Canada, I think it’s fair to say, and maybe for a period of time coveted Canada.” He further elaborated, “We’re two sovereign nations discussing the future of our trade relationships, our defense partnership.” Carney also mentioned, “The President is focused on a series of changing bilateral relations… Making sure all members of NATO, Canada included, pay their fair share.”
Both Trump and Carney are prominent attendees at the 2025 NATO Summit, where a central topic for global leaders is the objective of reaching a 5% GDP defense budget.
In May, Trump extended an offer of protection to Canada under his envisioned missile defense system. He claimed on Truth Social that “It will cost zero dollars if they become our cherished 51st State. They are considering the offer!” He further stated that if Canada wished to participate in the Golden Dome system while retaining its sovereignty, it would incur a cost of $61 billion.
Canada swiftly dismissed any suggestion that it was contemplating this arrangement. The Canadian Prime Minister’s office issued a press statement asserting, “The Prime Minister has been clear at every opportunity, including in his conversations with President Trump, that Canada is an independent, sovereign nation, and it will remain one.”
Trump has consistently argued that Canada ought to become the 51st state, asserting that integrating the U.S.’s northern neighbor would be advantageous for Canadians. He emphasized this point amidst heightened tensions over his tariffs, which both Trudeau—whom Trump famously goaded by calling “”—and Carney have expressed deep concern about.
During tariff discussions in March, Trump once more tried to leverage the idea of annexation. He stated, “The only thing that makes sense is for Canada to become our cherished 51st State. This would make all tariffs, and everything else, totally disappear,”
During his election campaign, “ fired back, saying, “The biggest risk we have to this economy is Donald Trump… he’s trying to break us so he can own us.” He added, ”We’re all going to stand up against Donald Trump. I’m ready.”
The persistent back-and-forth has been additionally complicated by the observation that some separatists in the Canadian province of Alberta perceive Trump as an ally, and have even launched a “” campaign.
Trump denied that he was merely “trolling” when expressing his desire to annex Canada.
He stated, “We’re taking care of their military. We’re taking care of every aspect of their lives… We don’t need anything from Canada. And I say the only way this thing really works is for Canada to become a state.”
On May 6, when Trump and Carney met in the Oval Office of the White House, the subject was brought up again. Trump boldly stated in front of the Canadian Prime Minister that an annexation would “.” A visibly uncomfortable Carney countered by reiterating that Canada “is not for sale.” Trump’s reply was, “Never say never.”
While Carney’s remarks at NATO seem to indicate a reduction in the previous discourse and tension, it would not be unexpected for many if Trump were to revert to his earlier rhetoric in the future.
In May, Trump discussed his strong inclination to annex the neighboring country.
He asserted, “I’ll always talk about that. You know why? We subsidize Canada to the tune of $200 billion a year.” He continued, “If Canada was a state it wouldn’t cost us. It would be great. It would be such a great—it would be a cherished state… What a beautiful country it would be.”
