During a recent business gathering, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau made a startling revelation about US President Donald Trump’s purported intention to annex Canada. Two Canadian business leaders who were present at the meeting confirmed to CNN that Trudeau addressed Trump’s threat as a serious concern. The disclosure, initially reported by the Toronto Star, occurred when Trudeau inadvertently spoke into an open microphone, presuming that the media had exited the premises.
“Mr. Trump seems to have a notion that the simplest approach would be to absorb our nation, and this is a genuine possibility. In my discussions with him on…,” Trudeau was heard saying before the audio abruptly cut off, as captured by CBC News at the Canada-US Economic Summit in Toronto.
Trudeau’s remarks followed his opening speech at the summit and were uttered after the departure of journalists from the room, as per CBC’s report. In a pre-inauguration interview with CNN, Trudeau dismissed Trump’s suggestions about Canada becoming the 51st state of the United States as a diversion from the repercussions of Trump’s tariff threats. Trudeau adamantly stated that the prospect of Canada becoming a US state was implausible, emphasizing that Canadians take immense pride in their national identity and distinctiveness from Americans.
“Canadians are exceedingly proud of their Canadian heritage. A key aspect of our identity is that we are not American,” Trudeau asserted in an interview on CNN’s “The Lead with Jake Tapper” in early January. Characterizing Trump as a shrewd negotiator, Trudeau suggested that Trump’s rhetoric surrounding Canada’s potential annexation was intended to deflect attention from the substantial impact of proposed tariffs on crucial Canadian industries such as oil, gas, electricity, steel, aluminum, lumber, and concrete.
Subsequently, Trump proceeded with his tariff threats against Canada, imposing a new 25% duty on the majority of Canadian imports into the US. However, following Trudeau’s commitment to enhancing border security measures, Trump announced a temporary halt to the proposed tariffs during a call with Trudeau, extending the pause for at least a month. In response, Trudeau reiterated Canada’s plans to implement a previously outlined $1.3 billion border security initiative, along with the appointment of a “fentanyl czar” and classifying cartels as terrorist organizations.
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