Donald Trump, in an interview with NBC, suggested that Canada and Mexico become new states within the United States.
"We subsidize Canada in the amount of more than $ 100 billion a year. We subsidize Mexico by almost $300 billion. We don't have to do that. Why are we subsidizing these countries? Let them become new states instead of subsidies," the Republican said.
Earlier, Fox News channel, citing sources, reported that Trump, at a meeting with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, said that if the Canadian economy could not withstand the new tariffs, then perhaps it would be better for it to become the 51st American state.
According to sources, the future American leader told Trudeau that Canada had "let down" the United States by allowing a large volume of drugs and illegal migrants to cross the border. Then Trump mentioned the trade deficit of the two countries, which, according to his calculations, reached more than $ 100 billion. After that, the American leader told his Canadian counterpart that if Canada could not deal with these two problems — the deficit and the border — then after the inauguration he would impose the promised trade duties of 25 percent.