Donald J. Trump, upon taking the oath of office as the 47th President of the United States on January 20, 2025, explicitly stated that Canada should not be a state…

As of February 1, Trump is “taking back” Canada. By becoming a state – she will benefit: taxes will go down and she will be militarily protected. Next is Greenland, whose inhabitants “want to be with the United States.” “I will not take no for an answer,” Trump declared.

Trump: “Many Canadians want Canada to become the 51st state. I think it’s a great idea to be the 51st state!!!”. I consider Trudeau my governor of Canada.”

Previously, Trump served as the 45th U.S. President as well. He is and will always be remembered as the most controversial as well as the most influential president the U.S. has ever seen. His most important personality trait is his bold and bald rhetoric skills. During his first campaign against the Democrat nominee Hillary Clinton, Trump made very serious promises including erecting the border wall at the U.S.-Mexico border. And after assuming office, Trump started building the wall; however, he couldn’t complete it during his tenure.

Though, during his second presidential campaign, Trump was serving as the U.S. President, yet he was still defeated by the Democrat nominee Joe Biden. During his third presidential campaign, Trump defeated the democrat nominee and the then U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris. Using his fiery speech style, Trump made unusual claims and promises, especially regarding America’s northern neighbour i.e., Canada. It is to be remembered here that Canada and the U.S. are members of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and share common foreign and security policy choices.

Trump’s Bicker vis-à-vis Canada

Trump claimed without any evidence that the majority of the Canadian people wants to join the U.S. and become the 51st state of America. Trump said that “Many Canadians want Canada to become the 51st State.” He continued that “They would save massively on taxes and military protection. I think it is a great idea. 51st State!!!” Moreover, Trump said that he considers Trudeau as his Governor of Canada. A claim that has no foundation of any evidence.

Trump made serious allegations that Canada has been helping illegal immigrants to enter the U.S. through its borders. Trump also said that he would impose 25 percent tariffs on all the goods being imported from Canada. Pundits claim that as soon as February 1, 2025, the tariffs could be imposed. [Imposed-Ed]

The Future of North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA)

With Trump’s threats of imposing tariffs, it is vital to think about the future of NAFTA. The NAFTA was mutually agreed by the U.S., Canada, and Mexico in 1994. Before NAFTA, the U.S. and Canada mutually signed the Canada-United States Free Trade Agreement in 1988.

By the virtue of these bilateral and multilateral agreements, the U.S. and Canada were to do trade without tariffs and to facilitate the trade and investment. However, with Trump’s tariff plan could hit Canada very hard. The CNN reported that if Trump imposes such tariffs, it could “send the Canadian and Mexican economies into recession.”

Why Justin Trudeau is the First Victim of Trump?

On December 11, 2024, Canada’s Finance Minister Ms. Chrystia Freeland resigned from office citing her differences with the Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. The main reason for her resignation was differences with the Prime Minister over the coming tariffs from Trump. Trudeau and Freeland had serious differences over the “two-month sales tax holiday and 250 Canadian dollar.”

Ms. Chrystia said that “Our country is facing a grave challenge… That means keeping our fiscal powder dry today, so we have the reserves we may need for a coming tariff war.” Canada’s Finance Minister Ms. Chrystia Freeland’s resignation remarks reveal the serious cracks within the West and its leaders. Canada’s domestic leaders are embracing for a Trade War with its Southern neighbour i.e., America.

On January 6, 2025, the Canadian Prime Minister Trudeau announced his resignation from the Liberal Party as well as the Premiership of Canada. It is important to understand that why Justin Trudeau is the first victim of Donald Trump’s presidency.

Analysis and Conclusions

The West has started to break apart from within. It is worthy to note that the majority of Western leaders unnecessarily opted to support Ukraine against Russia, and did put their economies to dangerous risks, which in turn attracted the criticism from the opposition political parties. The Western nations including Canada made a wrong choice over Ukraine and now its domestic politics are putting the incumbent government to risk.

It is important to note here that Canada exports almost 75 percent of its total manufacturing output to the U.S. This means that Canadian manufacturing industry heavily relies on the U.S. on its financial and economic survival. It is also worthy to note here that “Canada is America’s second largest trading partner, but number one export market.” Canadian exports to the U.S. amounts to almost 170 billion USD. In such a situation, if President Trump imposes further tariffs on Canada, then the Canadian economy would completely collapse and its manufacturing industry could lose its capacity.

The Canadian people must stand up to the illegal and immoral claims made by President Trump. The Canadian people must also revisit Canada’s position regarding Russia’s Special Military Operation in Ukraine and an independent inquiry must be launched to inquire the funding provided to Ukraine to wreak havoc against the Russian people.

There is little doubt that Justin Trudeau is the first victim of Donald Trump, and there could be more victims to Trump’s future trade wars. It is also evident that Prime Minister Trudeau’s policies are backfiring and have brought Canada to the brink of domestic turmoil and a potential civil unrest. It is very disturbing that the Conservative Party leader Pierre Poilievre who is also serving as the main opposition leader in Canada, has called for an early federal election. Such a demand could put the Canadian politics off-balance in the foreseeable future.

Simon Westwood is a Masters student at the Dublin City University (DCU), Ireland. He is also a Research Assistant at the DCU’s Department of History. Courtesy

https://journal-neo.su/2025/01/31/trumps-first-victim-justin-trudeau/