Roving Periscope: “Oh Canada!”, Trump says the ‘golden age’ of America to begin
Virendra Pandit
New Delhi: Attempting China-like cartographic diplomacy, President-elect Donald Trump, just 12 days before his January 20 inauguration, published a ‘new map’ of America including Canada as the 51st state of the USA, setting the cat among the other pigeons—Mexico, the Panama Canal, and Greenland—he may annex during his upcoming four-years in the White House as the 47th President.
Since, in recent weeks, Trump started repeatedly needling Canada, to either become part of the US and enjoy prosperity and security, or face 25 percent tariffs, memes have flooded the social media. While some Indian-origin innovators called it proposed “Akhand America,” angry Canadians published another map, “Greater Canada”, annexing the USA itself!
After Trump proposed to absorb Canada, a senior Canadian official counter-offered to purchase two or three American states instead.
Addressing a press conference on Monday, Ontario Premier Doug Ford said: “To the President-elect, I’ll make him a counteroffer. How about if we buy Alaska? And we’ll throw in Minnesota and Minneapolis at the same time?”
“You know, it’s not realistic. I know he likes making these comments and joking around – I take that seriously,” he said. “He may be joking, but under my watch, that will never, ever happen,” Ford added.
After his win in the November 5 election, Trump first brought up the possibility of taking over Canada with the then-Prime Minister Justin Trudeau during a dinner meeting. Trump also offered to make him the “Governor of Canada.”
When Trudeau resigned this week, Trump reignited the issue with a post on his social media outlet, Truth Social.
“Many people in Canada LOVE being the 51st State. The United States can no longer suffer the massive Trade Deficits and Subsidies that Canada needs to stay afloat. Justin Trudeau knew this and resigned. If Canada merged with the US, there would be no tariffs, taxes would go way down, and they would be TOTALLY SECURE from the threat of the Russian and Chinese Ships that are constantly surrounding them. Together, what a great Nation it would be,” the US president-elect posted.
At a press conference on Tuesday, a day after the US Congress certified his election victory, Trump also threatened to use “economic force” to absorb Canada into the US.
“You get rid of that artificially drawn line, and you take a look at what that looks like, and it would also be much better for national security,” he said. “Canada and the United States, that would really be something,” Trump added.
When asked if he would use military force to bring Canada to heel, he said: “No, only the economic force.” Promising to “turn the economy around very quickly,” Trump said, “We’re approaching the dawn of America’s golden age.”
In a separate post, he also shared a map showing Canada as part of the United States. “Oh, Canada,” he wrote in the caption.
Forced to resign as Canada’s PM over his muted response to Trump’s proposal to merge Canada with the United States, Trudeau finally reacted: “Not a chance.”
In his first post on X since his resignation as the PM, Trudeau said, “There isn’t a snowball’s chance in hell that Canada would become part of the United States. Workers and communities in both our countries benefit from each other’s biggest trading and security partner.”
Trump had also threatened Canada with a 25 percent tariff on imports from the country, which sends 75 percent of all goods and services exports south of the border – a threat Trudeau said would destroy the Canadian economy. He then was slammed within his Cabinet for his subdued reaction, resulting in his resignation, the media reported.
His Liberal Party fired back at Trump with another map showing which part is the United States and which is not, with a veiled dig at the US President-elect: “For anyone who may be confused.”
Many times, Trump also mocked Justin Trudeau, calling him the Governor of Canada and long complained about Canada’s trade surplus with the US.
Besides, Trump has also threatened to retake the Panama Canal from Pana, Greenland from Denmark, and impose a stiff 25 percent tariff on Mexico.
