The Trump administration on Monday refused to close the door on President Donald Trump’s push to make Canada the 51st U.S. state, instead challenging Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney to come back to the negotiation table after trade talks collapsed last week. Asked whether Trump still wants Canada to become a state, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent declined to answer directly, telling Newsweek that the president "would like Canada to come to the table and negotiate in good faith." "They were offered quite a good deal last week. They chose to reject it," he added.
Bessent said that Carney “rose to power on an anti-American, anti-Trump platform” and questioned whether the prime minister was acting in the interests of himself, the Liberal Party or Canadian voters. The Treasury secretary's comments come as the Trump administration imposed 50 percent tariffs on roughly $20 billion of Canadian goods. On Monday, Trump threatened to impose another 50 percent tariff on Canadian cars and auto parts.
They feel entitled, and yet, WE DON’T NEED CANADA, THEY NEED US! They do 95% of their business with the U.S., with us, the exact opposite,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. Trump’s comments about Canada becoming the 51st state began as a campaign-era provocation but continued well after he returned to the White House.
He has argued that Canada already receives many of the benefits associated with being part of the United States, particularly in trade and national security, without sharing the same obligations. Trump has also complained about the U.S. trade deficit with Canada, Canadian defense spending and what he views as an imbalance in the two countries’ economic relationship. In February 2025, Trump said he would like Canada to become the 51st state, arguing that Canadians would benefit from lower taxes and greater U.S. military protection.
He also linked the proposal to eliminating tariffs and other trade barriers between the two countries. When asked later whether the statehood idea was simply a joke, Trump said no. The term had previously been directed at former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau during Trump's campaign for Canadian statehood.
The statehood rhetoric has unfolded alongside one of the most serious economic disputes between the United States and Canada in decades. Carney has repeatedly rejected Trump's suggestion that Canada could become part of the United States and has emphasized Canadian sovereignty. The prime minister has also portrayed Trump's tariffs and threats as evidence that Canada needs to become less economically dependent on its southern neighbor.
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