Canada and Mexico: '51st state' rhetoric and the trade war

Case

Since early 2025, Trump has repeatedly floated Canada becoming the U.S.'s '51st state,' alongside a tariff and trade dispute with both Canada and Mexico.

Documentation
In February 2025, Trump confirmed on Fox News he was serious about wanting Canada to become the 51st state, agreeing when asked if it was a 'real thing,' as then-PM Justin Trudeau had warned business leaders. Trudeau suggested Trump's interest was tied partly to Canada's critical minerals.
Trump said he would not use military coercion but could use 'economic force' to bring about annexation, and has repeated the 51st-state suggestion multiple times through 2025 and into 2026, including tying it to Canada supposedly wanting free access to the U.S. 'Golden Dome' missile defense system - a claim Canada did not confirm.
Trump has repeated a claim that the U.S. 'subsidizes Canada to the tune of $200 billion a year' as a justification for the annexation talk - a claim tied to the trade deficit that Canadian officials and outlets have disputed as misleading.
New PM Mark Carney told Trump directly it was not 'useful' to keep referring to Canada as the 51st state; Carney has said annexation 'will never happen.' Trump partially eased the rhetoric after their May 2025 meeting but revived it again by October 2025.
Canadian polling (Research Co., June 2026) found 82% of Canadians see U.S. tariffs as a continuing threat and 50% consider the U.S. a military threat to Canada.
Renegotiation of the USMCA/CUSMA trade agreement among the U.S., Canada, and Mexico has proceeded alongside this rhetoric, with Canada and Mexico separately requesting a 16-year renewal as of mid-2026.

Note
Trump has alternately called annexation serious and downplayed it, and economists dispute describing the trade deficit as a $200 billion 'subsidy.'

Sources
[1] BIV/Research Co. (https://www.biv.com/news/commentary/mario-canseco-canadians-reject-trumps-annexation-talk-as-tariff-worries-grow-polling-shows-12392688)
[2] The Hub (https://thehub.ca/2025/10/01/trump-revives-51st-state-talk-annexation-threat-security-deal-explainer/)
[3] Time (https://time.com/article/2026/06/02/trump-annex-canada-51st-state-rhetoric-carney-us-partnership-message/)
[4] Forbes (https://www.forbes.com/sites/alisondurkee/2025/02/09/trump-confirms-hes-serious-about-wanting-canada-as-51st-state/)
[5] Wikipedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2025%E2%80%932026_United_States_trade_war_with_Canada)
[6] CBC (https://www.cbc.ca/lite/story/1.7526196)

Connections

Same context — Alberta separatists, Michigan Republican operatives and the Centurion Project voter-list breach
Both concern U.S. pressure on Canadian sovereignty; the Globe frames the Alberta contacts as part of efforts by U.S. figures to support Alberta independence and American expansionism.

Related — Greenland annexation threats
Both are territorial/annexation-adjacent rhetoric aimed at neighboring or allied states.