Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney confirmed this week that U.S. President Donald Trump brought up the notion of making Canada the “51st state” during a private phone call in March. Speaking at a campaign press conference, Carney said Trump raised the idea once again during their 28 March conversation, just as Canada’s election season was beginning. “The president brings this up all the time,” Carney said, adding that Trump’s fixation with the concept is well known among political leaders. Pressed further by reporters, Carney insisted, “This is not news.”
The revelation comes at a critical point in Canada’s federal election, where Trump’s tariff policies and repeated remarks about annexing Canada have become major talking points. At the press conference, Carney emphasized that Canada’s sovereignty is not negotiable. “To be clear, as I’ve said to anyone who’s raised this issue in private or public, including the president, it will never happen,” he stated firmly. Despite Trump’s public claims of neutrality in the Canadian election, his influence looms large over the campaign’s final stretch.
Since winning re-election, Trump has repeatedly referenced the “51st state” idea and referred to former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau as a “governor,” sparking widespread outrage among Canadians. His aggressive trade stance, including 25 percent tariffs on Canadian automobiles, steel, and aluminum, has fueled nationalist sentiment across the country. Even in Quebec, a province long associated with separatist movements, voters have expressed a stronger desire for federal leadership that can push back against U.S. pressure.
Both Liberal Leader Mark Carney and Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre have made Trump’s trade policies central to their campaigns. Poilievre condemned the recent auto sector tariffs as “unjustified and unprovoked,” while Carney has positioned himself as a crisis manager capable of standing up to Trump’s unpredictable agenda. With election day approaching on Monday, the latest polling shows the Liberals maintaining a narrow lead over the Conservatives, although the race remains tight.
Early voting turnout has reached historic levels, with more than seven million Canadians already casting their ballots. As the election nears its conclusion, Trump’s remarks about Canada’s future have sharpened the stakes for voters, turning what was expected to be a domestic campaign into a referendum on the country’s relationship with its powerful southern neighbor.
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