US President-elect Donald Trump proposed using "economic force" to pressure Canada into becoming the 51st state of the United States, citing concerns over trade imbalances and the cost of US military assistance. Trump emphasized his intention to impose "substantial" tariffs on Canadian and Mexican goods to address these issues.

"The US absorbing Canada would really be something," Trump stated, highlighting his dissatisfaction with the current trade relationship and military commitments to its northern neighbor. "We’ve been good neighbors, but we can’t do it forever," he added.

When questioned about the possibility of military action to secure US control over Greenland or the Panama Canal, Trump declined to rule it out. "I’m not going to commit to that," he said, adding, "We need them for economic security."

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau dismissed the suggestion, responding on X (formerly Twitter): "There isn’t a snowball’s chance in hell that Canada would become part of the United States."

Trump hints at economic pressure on Canada and Mexico:

• Donald Trump reiterated his intention to use "economic force" to pressure Canada into aligning with US demands, a proposal he has mentioned multiple times recently.
• He argued that the US subsidizes Canada and could do without its imports, such as cars and dairy products.
• "Canada, don’t take our cars, our farm products, anything—so we won’t take their products either," Trump said. "We essentially protect Canada. We’re spending hundreds of billions a year to take care of Canada, and we lose in trade deficits."

During the same press conference, Trump criticized Mexico, accusing it of exploiting the US through unfair trade and being plagued by cartel-related violence.

"We have a massive deficit with Mexico, and we help Mexico a lot. They’re essentially run by the cartels, and we can’t let that happen," Trump remarked. "Mexico is really in trouble—a very dangerous place. Soon, we’re going to announce a date to change things because we do most of the work there, and it’s ours."

Trump has pledged to adopt a tougher approach toward Canada and Mexico during his second term, threatening both nations with new tariffs unless they take stronger action to curb illegal drug trafficking and migration into the US.