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U.S. President Donald Trump made an offer to Canada at a rally in Kansas on Monday, saying that he would let the country keep its national anthem and hockey if it became the 51st state .
The comments were made about half way through his speech in Park City, where he was supporting U.S. Sen. Roger Marshall in the midterm election. Trump mentioned how car plants were thriving in the United States, but were leaving Mexico and Canada.
“They’re leaving O Canada,” he said, in reference to the beginning of the country’s national anthem. “Canada’s been ripping us off for so many years. People got used to it. I didn’t get used to it. We got it under control.”
He questioned why Americans would even need Canadian-made cars, but added: “I do like their national anthem.”
“And I promise them if they become a 51st state …I said, ‘I will let you keep ice hockey and I will let you keep your O Canada national anthem,'” he said. “They can have it as a state anthem.”
He followed up his offer by adding that he was “only kidding” and “having a good time.”
“But they have been screwing us,” he said, adding that now Canada wants to make a deal. The U.S. does very little business with Canada, while the northern country does 95 per cent of business with Americans, he said. The U.S. loses $90 billion a year because of this, according to Trump.
“I would say that’s a little too much for the privilege of having people live through very cold weather,” he said.
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney has not specifically addressed Trump’s claim that Canada is the cause of a $90 billion deficit in the U.S. However, Canadian-founded research institute Centre for Future Work published an article earlier this month, debunking some of Trump’s “big lies about Canada.”
“The true deficit for 2025, based on official U.S. government data , was $27 billion. That consisted of a $55 billion deficit on merchandise, partly offset by a $28 billion U.S. surplus on services,” the post said.
“That’s just 3 per cent of the massive two-way $900 billion bilateral flow. America’s trade with Canada is far more balanced than with the rest of the world – adding to the mystery of why Canada is suddenly Public Enemy Number One.”
Trump made reference to the border between the two countries, saying it was a straight line drawn by “some guy with a ruler” who said, “Let those people have that cold air.”
Later in the speech, Trump walked back threats he previously made against Canadian jet manufacturer Bombardier.
“I’m going to be helping a certain air company get themselves straightened away,” he said.
He said he viewed Bombardier as a Canadian company, but since they have a presence in Kansas “we’re not hurting them.” According to Reuters , Bombardier employs around 1,500 people in Wichita.
“We’ll take care of those people,” said Trump.
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