Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has warned that U.S. President Donald Trump has a genuine interest in annexing Canada to take control of the country's critical materials and mineral reserves. Trudeau expressed his concerns during a summit in Toronto with Canadian business, political, and social leaders, noting that the Trump Administration seems to be aware of Canada's natural resources and considers the annexation of the country as an easier way to access them.
In inadvertently leaked comments, Trudeau mentioned that Trump first brought up the idea of annexing Canada during the Canadian Prime Minister's visit to Florida after the U.S. presidential elections in November 2024. On that occasion, Trump suggested that Canada could become the 51st state of the U.S. as a condition to avoid a 25% tariff on Canadian products. Since then, Trump has reiterated on several occasions his interest in making Canada part of the United States, even mentioning the possibility of using "economic force."
Despite the tensions, the tariffs imposed on Canada and Mexico for fentanyl trafficking to the U.S. are currently suspended for a period of 30 days. This conflict poses a landscape of uncertainty in the relations between Canada and the United States, especially regarding the sovereignty and commercial interests of both countries.
