Despite a quieter tone in recent weeks, U.S. President Donald Trump hasn’t abandoned his bold ambition: turning Canada into the 51st state of the United States. The White House confirmed Friday that Trump still holds this position, even if he’s dialed back the rhetoric lately.
According to officials, Trump’s stance hasn’t changed since his March 28 call with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, who’s also campaigning as leader of the Liberal Party while serving in a caretaker role. After their call, Carney stated that Trump had “respected Canada’s sovereignty”—at least, for the moment.
But beneath the surface, tensions remain high. White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters that Trump’s views haven’t shifted at all.
“The president still maintains his position on Canada,” Leavitt said. “He believes the U.S. has been subsidizing Canada’s national defense and that Canadians would benefit greatly from becoming the 51st state.”
This isn’t the first time Trump has floated the idea. Earlier in March, during a meeting with NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte, Trump mused about erasing the “artificial line” that separates the two countries. And while he’s since refrained from making similar public comments, many in Canada see his intentions as clear.
Meanwhile, Carney and other Canadian leaders are pushing back hard. They’ve framed the upcoming federal election as a fight to protect Canada’s economic independence and national sovereignty in the face of rising American protectionism.
“The priorities of the United States, once closely aligned to ours, have shifted,” Carney said during a campaign stop in Dorval, Quebec. “The threats to our sovereignty are multiple.”
Carney has had to pause his campaign several times to address the fallout from Trump’s shifting trade policies. On Tuesday, he accused the U.S. president of trying to “fundamentally restructure the international trading system” through aggressive tariffs, including those hitting key Canadian sectors like autos, steel, and aluminum.
“We cannot control President Trump,” Carney told a crowd in St-Eustache, Quebec, “but we can control our entire economy.”
Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre took a stronger tone, calling Trump’s treatment of Canada “unfair” and accusing the Liberals of weakening Canada’s ability to stand up to U.S. pressure.
“There’s nobody who’s going to be able to control President Trump—as Mr. Carney is learning,” Poilievre said at an event in Montreal.
NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh echoed those concerns but stopped short of calling Trump’s actions foreign interference.
“What he’s doing is threatening our country,” Singh said during a stop in Toronto. “He’s threatening our sovereignty, he’s threatening us with economic pressure.”
Across party lines, one thing is clear: Canadian leaders—regardless of political affiliation—are united on one point:
Canada will never become part of the United States.
