Days before Canada votes in a national election, President Donald Trump is talking again about its status as a 51st state — an Oval Office aside almost certain to boost the three-term Liberals in their quest for a fourth mandate.
Trump told reporters Wednesday that Canada would “cease to exist” without the U.S. He also suggested he could further raise the 25 percent tariffs he’s imposed on Canadian autos.
“They took a large percentage of the car making, and I want to bring it back to this country. I really don’t want cars from Canada, so when I put tariffs on Canada — they’re paying 25 percent — but that could go up in terms of cars,” the president told reporters. “I’d rather see them made in Michigan and made in South Carolina and made in other states, Tennessee.”
Trump has been front and center in Canada’s 37-day campaign that overlaps with the opening days of a trade war that could decimate the Canadian economy.
Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre has said that if he wins on Monday, he’ll have the president on the horn in a hurry.
Liberal Leader Mark Carney, the current prime minister, has warned repeatedly that Trump is out to change the world economy. “What he’s trying to do to Canada — he’s trying to break us, so the U.S. can own us,” he’s said repeatedly on the campaign trail.
For most Canadians, the ballot box question is which leader is better to take on Trump.
If Liberals pull it off, Carney says a meeting with Trump would happen “within days.”
The president said Wednesday that he’s spoken with the Liberal leader: “He was very nice, very nice. We had a couple of good conversations.” The two had a public call on March 28, but it’s unclear what further conversations Trump was referring to.
Carney called the snap election on March 24, arguing that he needed a mandate from Canadians to take on Trump. Earlier this week, Liberal incumbent and Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly told a rally outside of Montreal that the party is now hoping for a majority mandate.
Asked about these aspirations, Carney replied: “Having a clear mandate will put the country in a better position.”
When invited to speak about Canada’s election Wednesday, Trump said it’s not for him to weigh in.
“Look, I love the Canadian people. I like Canada,” he told reporters. “But I don’t think it’s appropriate for me to get involved in their election.”
