"How About If We Buy Alaska?" Top Canadian Politician Eyes Takeover Of U.S. States As Battle With Trump Escalates
Canadians are touchy, eh?
Ontario Premier Doug Ford fired back at President-elect Donald Trump’s calls for Canada to join the United States as its 51st state by countering with a surprising offer: for the Great White North to purchase Alaska and Minnesota.
"You know something, to the president, I'll make him a counteroffer: How about if we buy Alaska and throw in Minnesota and Minneapolis at the same time?" Ford told reporters during a Monday press conference, addressing Trump’s looming threat of U.S. tariffs against Canada.
Trump, speaking at a freewheeling press conference at Mar-a-Lago on Tuesday, expressed frustration over how the U.S. is treated by Canada, claiming that its biggest trading partner is subsidized by approximately $200 billion annually.
“They don't essentially have a military,” Trump said. “They have a very small military. They rely on our military. It's all fine but, you know, they have to pay for that. It's very unfair. Something has to be done.”
“To the president, I’ll make him a counter offer. How about if we buy Alaska?”
— David Beaudoin (@DavidABeaudoin) January 6, 2025
You need bulldogs like Doug Ford sometimes. pic.twitter.com/sTJy8v7pfN
“We are going to put very serious tariffs on Mexico and Canada,” the president-elect continued, before turning his focus to the surge of illegal substances flowing from Canada into the U.S. “They come through Canada, too. The drugs coming through are at record numbers,” Trump said. “So we are going to make up for that by putting tariffs on Mexico and Canada. Substantial tariffs. We want to get along with everybody but, you know, it takes two to tango.”
Trump also reiterated his wish for former NHL star Wayne Gretzky to consider running for Canada’s prime minister, suggesting that he could be a viable successor to Trudeau.
In November, Trump raised alarms in both Canada and Mexico with a threat to impose 25 percent tariffs unless the two countries helped curb the migrant and fentanyl crises. The threat prompted Trudeau to immediately travel to Mar-a-Lago for talks on how the U.S. and Canada could avoid a tariff war.
Ford, however, maintains that Mexico and China—not Canada—are responsible for the trade issues Trump has singled out.
“I’ve talked to so many governors and congresspeople and senators and never once did they say Canada is the problem,” Ford told CNN on Monday. “I’ll tell you who the problem is: China is the problem. China shipping in cheap parts, putting them through Mexico. Mexico slapping on a 'Made in Mexico' sticker and shipping up through the U.S. and Canada. [It’s] costing American and Canadian jobs.”
Recently resigning PM Justin Trudeau, meanwhile, took to X on Tuesday to reaffirm his staunch opposition to Trump’s proposal, declaring, “There isn’t a snowball’s chance in hell that Canada would become part of the United States.”
There isn’t a snowball’s chance in hell that Canada would become part of the United States.
— Justin Trudeau (@JustinTrudeau) January 7, 2025
Workers and communities in both our countries benefit from being each other’s biggest trading and security partner.