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President Trump showed his support for the U.S. hockey team in its upcoming rematch against Canada in a Truth Social post on Thursday.
The U.S. and Canadian teams will face one another once again in the finals of the 4 Nations Face-Off on Thursday evening. President Trump also indicated he would be calling the team rally them on to victory over Canada.
“I’ll be calling our GREAT American Hockey Team this morning to spur them on towards victory tonight against Canada, which with FAR LOWER TAXES AND MUCH STRONGER SECURITY, will someday, maybe soon, become our cherished, and very important, Fifty First State,” Trump said.
Trump’s post referenced his earlier comments suggesting Canada should be made the fifty-first state if it is reliant on the American economy.
The manager of the U.S. hockey team previously invited President Trump to attend the game, hoping it would add to the patriotism and competitiveness of the event.
“I will be speaking before the Governors tonight in D.C., and will sadly, therefore, be unable to attend,” President Trump said. “But we will all be watching, and if Governor Trudeau would like to join us, he would be most welcome. Good luck to everybody, and have a GREAT game tonight. So exciting!”
Since taking office, President Trump has sparred with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who balked at tariff proposals and Trump’s suggestion Canada should be made the 51st state.
The political tensions seemed to spill over into the rivalry between the two hockey teams when Canadian fans booed the American national anthem during the matchup between the two teams on Saturday. Multiple fights on the ice quickly followed within the first nine seconds of the game. The U.S. team ultimately prevailed, defeating the Canadians 3-1.
The rematch between the U.S. and Canadian hockey teams will take place on Thursday night at 8 p.m. ET.