Fox News reported on the 2nd (local time) that President-elect Donald Trump told Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who came under the threat of a "25% tariff," "If you can't meet the demands, become the 51st state of the United States."
Fox News cited two attendees to report that this conversation took place during a dinner meeting between President-elect Trump and Prime Minister Trudeau at Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida on the 29th of last month.
Prime Minister Trudeau, who visited Mar-a-Lago, President-elect Trump's private residence, at the end of last month, said that the tariffs the U.S. planned to impose would destroy the Canadian economy. Upon hearing this, President-elect Trump retorted, "So your country can't survive unless it extorts $100 billion (about 140 trillion won) from the U.S.?"
President-elect Trump then suggested to Prime Minister Trudeau that Canada should become the 51st state of the United States. According to a source who spoke to Fox News, Trudeau and the others were tense but laughed it off.
President-elect Trump also told Prime Minister Trudeau, "Prime Minister is a better title," but added, "You could also be the governor of the 51st state." According to Fox News, one attendee joked that Canada would be a very progressive state, to which President-elect Trump replied that Canada could be divided into progressive and conservative states.
Fox News requested comments from both sides regarding the remarks but received no response. Earlier, on the 25th, President-elect Trump warned that he would impose a 25% tariff on goods imported from Canada and Mexico until the two countries crack down on drugs and immigrants.
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