U.S. President made remarks in Time Magazine interview.
In response to a question from Time Magazine about whether he wanted an ‘American Empire,’ U.S. President Donald Trump dismissed the idea that he’s “trolling” and again pushed for Canada to become a U.S. State. The transcript is below:
Question: “You’ve talked about acquiring Greenland, taking control of the Panama Canal, making Canada the 51st state. Maybe you’re trolling a little bit on that one. I don’t know.”
Trump: “Actually, no, I’m not.”
Question: “Well, do you want to grow the American empire?”
Trump: “Well, it depends as an empire, it wasn’t, these are not things that we had before, so I’d view it a little bit differently if we had the right opportunity. Yeah, I think Greenland would be very well off if they I think it’s important for us for national security and even international security. I think Canada, what you said that, “Well, that one, I might be trolling.” But I’m really not trolling. Canada is an interesting case. We lose $200 to $250 billion a year supporting Canada. And I asked a man who I called Governor Trudeau. I said, ”Why? Why do you think we’re losing so much money supporting you? Do you think that’s right? Do you think that’s appropriate for another country to make it possible, for a country to sustain and he was unable to give me an answer, but it costs us over $200 billion a year to take care of Canada?” We’re taking care of their military. We’re taking care of every aspect of their lives, and we don’t need them to make cars for us. In fact, we don’t want them to make cars for us. We want to make our own cars. We don’t need their lumber. We don’t need their energy. We don’t need anything from Canada. And I say the only way this thing really works is for Canada to become a state.”
False Statements
The U.S. President continues to make false claims. The U.S. does not lose money “supporting Canada.” The U.S. has a services trade surplus with Canada, and an overall trade surplus excluding oil & gas. They purchase Canadian oil & gas at a discount.
While Canadian military spending has lagged behind U.S. spending as a percentage of GDP, there is no indication that higher Canadian spending would lead to U.S. defence budget reductions.
Election Three Days Away
Trump’s remarks come with three days left in the Canadian Federal Election. His repeated rejection of Canadian sovereignty reshaped the pre-campaign period, as the Liberals shifted from 20-25 points behind to a narrow lead. Recent similar remarks made in the Oval Office pushed Canada-U.S. relations into the forefront in the home stretch of the campaign.
Spencer Fernando
Image – YouTube
If this piece left you clearer than it found you, that's the point. I write for readers who want to think past the week, to see the longer pattern beneath the daily story, and to come away steadier rather than more agitated.
That longer view gets built somewhere. On Patreon, essay by essay, I'm constructing The Long Work, a body of analysis meant to outlast the news cycle that prompted it. The readers there make it possible. No subsidies, no strings. The work answers to them.
$8/month to read it as it's built, and to have a hand in building it.