U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the American president’s repeated comments about Canada becoming the “51st state” began when the Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said in a meeting that the country would “cease to exist” with high American tariffs on its goods.
Trudeau has said in his recollection of the meeting that the conversation was quickly dropped after he jokingly said there could be a “trade for Vermont or California for certain parts.”
In an interview with American journalist Catherine Herridge posted to social media on Feb. 21, Rubio said during U.S. President Donald Trump’s first meeting with Trudeau at Mar-a-Lago on Nov. 29, 2024, the prime minister said Canada’s existence would be in question if 25 percent tariffs were imposed on it….