President Donald Trump says Canada joining the United States as the fifty-first state remains “on the table,” though using the US military to force Canada to join America is “highly unlikely.”In a NBC Meet the Press interview, taped after Prime Minister Mark Carney’s Liberal election victory, Trump said he will raise annexation when the Carney visits the White House on Tuesday.“[I’ll] always talk about it,” Trump told host Kristen Welker. “They need us. We don’t need them.”Trump repeated his claim that the US runs a $200 billion USD ($276 billion CAD) trade deficit with Canada and dismissed the US’s need for Canadian products altogether..“We don’t need their cars, we don’t need their lumber, we don’t need their energy, we don’t need anything,” said Trump.“We do very little business with Canada. They do all of their business, practically, with us.”Pressed on whether he might one day send soldiers across the border, Trump backed away from the idea. “I think we’re not going to ever get to that point. Something could happen with Greenland, I’ll be honest, we need that for national and international security,” said Trump.Instead, Trump turned his attention to Greenland, calling the Arctic island a “strategic priority.”.Trump also criticized Ottawa over defence spending, claiming Canada pays “less than practically any nation” in NATO.Alliance data show Canada devoted 1.37% of GDP to defence last year, fifth‑lowest among members. The US contributed 3.38%, behind only Estonia and Poland.“They think we are going to protect them, and really, we are, but the truth is they don’t carry their full share, and it’s unfair to the United States and our taxpayers,” said Trump..Carney’s office later released a brief statement describing the countries as “independent, sovereign nations” committed to “mutual betterment.” The Prime Minister’s Office would not say whether Carney will engage on the fifty-first state proposal.Tuesday’s session will mark the second time Trump has floated annexation directly to Carney. Carney acknowledged in March that the subject came up during their first post-leadership call after Carney became the Liberal leader, but said both sides quickly moved back to talking about trade and security.
