Photo: Alamy
President Donald Trump indicated on Thursday that he will not back down when it comes to his tariff policies, particularly on Canada as he positions the America to claim the country as “a great and cherished” 51st state.
While taking questions from the press during a meeting with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte in the Oval Office, Trump was asked by a reporter if he would consider bending at all on tariffs for Canada or on upcoming reciprocal tariffs scheduled for April 2.
“No,” he said simply.
The president continued, “We’ve been ripped off for years and we’re not going to be ripped off anymore; no, I’m not going to bend at all.”
He reiterated his dissatisfaction that America has consistently subsidized Canada “for $200 billion a year.”
“We do it because we want to be helpful but there comes a point where you just can’t do that…we don’t need anything they have,” he said.
“We don’t need their lumber, we don’t need their energy…we don’t need their cars, I’d much rather make our cars here,” he added later.
The president instead highlighted his belief that Canada could become the 51st state of the Union, stating that it could be “maybe our greatest state.” He said Canadians could keep the nation’s anthem, “O Canada,” as a state song.
Ultimately, Trump remained unchanging in his stance about stopping America from being ripped off by foreign countries.
“We’ve been ripped off as a country for many, many years, and we’ve been subjected to costs we shouldn’t be subjected to,” Trump continued.
“We have to do this,” he said calmly. “I’m sorry, we have to do this.”
The president’s statement about tariffs also came just after he announced on Truth Social that the European Union had put a “nasty 50% Tariff on Whisky” coming from the United States. His response to this action from the EU was swift.
“If this Tariff is not removed immediately, the U.S. will shortly place a 200% Tariff on all WINES, CHAMPAGNES, & ALCOHOLIC PRODUCTS COMING OUT OF FRANCE AND OTHER E.U. REPRESENTED COUNTRIES. This will be great for the Wine and Champagne businesses in the U.S.,” he wrote.
