Trump, U.S. President, Gets Serious About Canadian Merger

Imposing Tariffs, Trump Says "It Only Makes Sense for Canada to Become the 51st State"
NYT: "It Doesn't Seem Like a Joke"

The New York Times (NYT) diagnosed on the 11th (local time) that U.S. President Donald Trump's repeated claims since last year's presidential election victory to incorporate Canada as the 51st state of the United States are not mere jokes but serious statements.

On the same day, President Trump posted on the social media platform Truth Social, stating, "It only makes sense for Canada to become our precious 51st state," and claimed, "If this happens, all tariffs and everything else will disappear."

This statement came after Canada announced a surcharge on electricity fees in response to U.S. tariffs, prompting Trump to threaten additional tariffs on steel and other goods. He further emphasized that Canada relies on U.S. military protection while paying almost nothing for national security costs, and if Canada becomes the 51st state, "Canada's taxes will be greatly reduced, it will be safer than ever militarily and in other aspects, and there will no longer be any issues at the northern border."

Until now, President Trump's remarks were considered mere threats, but as the statements have been repeated and become more specific, there is an assessment that he might be seriously advocating for the annexation of Canada. Canadian officials are also taking this as a serious threat, and anti-American sentiment is rising among Canadians.

Amid growing tensions between the two countries, the United States is also implementing a visitor registration law for entrants from Canada. The NYT reported, citing two sources, that the U.S. plans to apply the visitor registration law requiring Canadians who stay in the U.S. for more than 30 days to register with U.S. authorities. Foreign nationals aged 14 and older must register with authorities and provide fingerprints if they stay in the U.S. for more than 30 days under U.S. immigration law. However, this regulation has not actually been applied to Canadians entering the U.S. until now.