Donald Trump has suggested that he would have a better chance of turning Canada into the 51st state under Liberal leadership.
The president's comments come amid growing tension between the two nations, and just days before Prime Minister Mark Carney is set to call a federal election.
"Is it liberal? Maybe," Trump said when asked by Fox News' Peter Doocy whether annexing Canada would benefit Democrats, "but you know ... the Conservative was leading against 'Governor Trudeau,' the Conservative was leading by 35 points, so I don't know about that."
The president claimed that he had been the reason for Pierre Poilievre's decline in the polls, noting that the Conservative leader's numbers began falling when the United States "got involved." He added that having a Liberal in power would work "to our advantage."
"I don't care who wins up there," Trump continued. "Frankly I probably would do better with a Liberal than the Conservative, if you want to know the truth."
He concluded by noting that "Canada is a place — like a lot of other places — if you have a good candidate, the candidate's gonna win."
Before offering his thoughts on the election, Trump once again outlined his plan to annex Canada. He repeated his claim that the border is nothing more than an "artificial line," and suggested turning the two countries into one would create "the most beautiful land mass anywhere in the world."
This is not the first time Trump has appeared to endorse the Liberals. During an interview with Fox News' Laura Ingraham on Tuesday, Trump took aim at Poilievre, saying, "The Conservative that's running is stupidly no friend of mine. I don't know him, but he's said negative things."
He reiterated that "it's easier, actually, to deal with a Liberal," but noted that the people Trudeau sent down to Washington, DC had been "nasty."