Trump threatens Canada with ‘economic force’ amid turmoil over Trudeau exit
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With an outgoing PM, suspended parliament and promised harsh tariffs, Canada scrambles to find a new leader. President-elect Donald Trump has said the US will use “economic force” against its close ally Canada, doubling down on threats to impose protectionist tariffs on one of the US’s biggest trading partners.
The remarks are likely to further fuel political turmoil in Canada after the resignation of its prime minister, Justin Trudeau, and the suspension of parliament until late March. The US president-elect made his most forceful comments yet in a wide-ranging press conference on Tuesday in which he also promised to rename the Gulf of Mexico as the “Gulf of America”.
He once again mulled a union between Canada and the US, describing their shared border, established more than 230 years ago, as an “artificially drawn line”. Asked if he would use military force, Trump said: “No, economic force.” He repeated his baseless claim that the US “subsidizes” Canada and said the country spends too much to defend its neighbour.
Trudeau announced on Monday he would step down after nearly 10 years in power as soon as his ruling Liberal party chooses a new leader. Hours later, Trump revived his running jibe on social media about persuading Canada to seek US statehood. “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,” the incoming president wrote.
