On May 21, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney stated that Canada is in discussions with the U.S. regarding participation in President Donald Trump’s . When questioned about Canada’s potential financial commitment to the project, which is projected to cost hundreds of billions, possibly trillions, of dollars, Carney declined to “put a price tag” on it. However, he added, “We are aware that we have the capacity, should we choose, to contribute to the Golden Dome through investments and collaboration.”
But on Tuesday, May 27, Trump announced that Canada could join at no cost—but with a condition.
“I informed Canada, which is very interested in joining our incredible Golden Dome System, that remaining a separate, albeit unequal, Nation would cost them $61 Billion Dollars. However, becoming our cherished 51st State would cost ZERO DOLLARS,” Trump on Truth Social. “They are considering the offer!”
Trump has consistently voiced his desire for —a stance that is overwhelmingly unpopular among Canadians. During an Oval Office meeting on May 6, Carney, whose was interpreted as a rejection of Trump, insisted to the U.S. President that Canada is “not for sale” and “will never be for sale.” Trump responded by saying that “time will tell” and to “never say never.”
The U.S. and Canada already have a shared air defense system known as the . Canada has announced plans to invest approximately $28 billion over the next two decades to modernize it.
Trump’s “Golden Dome” plan, envisioned as a network of interceptors, satellites, and sensors to defend against missile attacks and inspired by Israel’s “Iron Dome,” would be significantly more expensive. Last week, when announcing that the “Golden Dome” was planned to be operational before the end of his term, the President estimated the project’s total cost at $175 billion. The non-partisan Congressional Budget Office estimated that developing and operating such a system could cost as much as $831 billion over 20 years—and that would only protect the United States.
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