Donald Trump tells Canada to become a state to avoid his tariffs
Donald Trump tells Canada to become a state to avoid his tariffs
Trump claimed Americans "don't need" Canadian lumber, energy or cars.
Summary
In a virtual speech at the World Economic Forum, Trump suggested Canada could become a U.S. state to avoid his proposed tariffs on imports.
The remark elicited gasps from the audience.
Trump claimed the U.S. does not need Canadian lumber, energy, or vehicles, vastly overstating the trade deficit between the two nations.
He reiterated his intention to impose tariffs, potentially as high as 25%, on imports from Canada and Mexico starting February 1.
Economists warn such tariffs would raise prices for U.S. consumers.
I still don't think he realizes the tariffs he keeps threatening us with hurt his people way more....
By "his people," you mean most voters, yeah.
But for high millionaires/billionaires, this is effectively a regressive tax that will benefit them.
Putin's Sock Puppet taking orders from Moscow to divide the NATO members. For starters, the Canadians should stop buying US made weapons, because the current US leadership is unhinged and unreliable. If anything, the Blue States should become Canadian Provinces.
They don't want us. As soon as NYS joins, NYC would dominate the votes, due to wild population differences.
"Surrender to my imperialism or I'm going to ruin your economy"
"Surrender to my imperialism or I'm going to ruin
yourmy economy"
Did someone brainwash this dude to annex other countries or something? Its like he wants to leave a legacy behind of being the first president in the modern age to expand America.
He’s an agent provocateur hired by the Russkis whether he knows it or not.
The best puppet. Nobody takes a hand up the butt like me.
Well, his idol annexed and invaded other countries, so obviously he should too!
No, says Canada.
"Go fuck yourself" says Canada.
Just like our Danish friends recently told Trump.
And our Ukraniain friends said to the Russia warship.
We must strengthen NATO's defences against the aggressive USA and significantly improve border defences, lest they catch us with our pants down when the time comes.
I'm going to keep posting this every time I see a reference to US tariffs against Canada.
https://pluralistic.net/2025/01/15/beauty-eh/
The TL;DR is that tariffs would violate the NAFTA / USMCA treaty in which Canada agreed to respect US copyright law in exchange for free trade. No free trade? Canada doesn't need to respect US copyright any longer and can become a flourishing economy of products to compete with US products that are massively overpriced. Think printer ink and other stuff.
Sweet. Host all pirate sites in Canada.
Not pirated, works no longer covered by copyright in Canada.
Idk if it's just for individuals, but our ISPs generally don't care about pirating already. I use a VPN to pirate here but just set to another city in Canada. I only even do that because I run jellyfin and have terabytes of downloads a month.
Worst case scenario is the ISP sends you a notice that the media companies are mad, but that's the end of it. They won't pursue anything further because they don't care
I was thinking to host pirate sites of US movies, software, etc. Get the US companies to tell the orange buffoon to behave or better yet, move the companies to Canada.
I really like the article's reference to manufacturing US DMCA-breaking technologies and forcing devices to host app stores in Canada where the government can declare the 30% Apple tax illegal.
Yes, please, Canadian produced pharmaceuticals + 15% tariff = an order of magnitude cheaper than what we can buy in the States.
That's why buying drugs across the border is specifically illegal. Can't have us buying our medicine at a fair value.
That's amazing. He's going to absolutely tank the US economy in his first financial quarter of his term.
Yeah anyone mad at the US government right now should to take it out on the US corporations, not the citizens. Citizens can't do much about this shitty administration until the next election but the corporations will have their feelings massively hurt every quarter if they don't meet their profit expectations.
trump will listen to corporations far more than citizens.
Citizens could have done something about it in November. And almost half of them chose to sit on their hands.
Of the ones who actually voted, half of those actively voted for this shitshow.
Sorry to the few who tried to stop it, but the idiots that surround you have brought this on you.
We will try to aim most of our retaliation at the Redhatter morons, but some of you will likely get caught in the crossfire.
Please do whatever you can to fix your country's shit, so we can get back to being friendly neighbours.
.
Also, please try not to break any more of the firefighting equipment we loaned you (and sent even after agent orange started threatening us).
"could" raise prices for americans?
Media is complicit.
I've written to seven senators asking them to make an amendment to the relevant legislation to call it the "Trump inflation explosion act 2025". Not really, but that's what this is.
The Canada, Mexico, California, Washington Oregon States.
The US consumers voted for Trump to lower the price of eggs.
The price of eggs is soaring today. Why? Because bird flu is killing chicken.
So what does Trump do? He cancels research on bird flu. Surely the irony won't be missed on the magats who voted him in.
And now this: aggression against allied nations that will result in more price hikes. More irony for the maga morons to enjoy.
It's only been 4 days. It's gonna be a long 4 years...
The term 'magat' is just so on the nose, no matter how deep you go with the analogy.
A maggot is a mindless sack of flesh that wriggles and writhes all over itself and its neighbors, feeding on a constant diet of rot and decay. And if it survives that stage? It becomes a fly, attracted to steaming piles of shit, regurgitating the same diet that it feeds on just to consume it again, and then buzzing off to distract, annoy, and generally piss off the regular folk who are just trying to get on with their day.
The stupid fucking idiots in the maga party will blame Biden.
Surely the irony won't be missed on the magats who voted him in.
Someone would have to explain the concept of irony to them first.
How does this lower the price of my god damn eggs?
Also he does know that Canada would be yet another blue state right?
Tariffs raise prices. That's kinda their thing.
Each province/territory would insist on being its own state so Canada would at least probably become 10 blue states and 3 red states if not 11/2. Not sure how Manitoba would swing.
Not sure how Manitoba would swing.
Given that our current government is NDP after a disastrous period of the previous conservative government, I would expect Manitoba would generally vote to the left of most states.
So much political theater and me without my opera glasses
Cutting off trade with Canada would devastate the US economy overnight
I would welcome fifty new Congressional districts, the overwhelming majority of which would vote Blue within an American political framework.
Yeah you don't know much about Canada, I guess. roughly half would vote democrat, roughly half republican, varying by 5, 10 percent up and down each individual election same as you see every election down south. The Conservatives form government for 8-10 years every 8-10 years federally.
Canada if you're listening, you should burn down the white house like it's 1812
Just don't burn Buffalo this time, we'll help you!
Since we are talking fantasies: Any US state the joins Canada avoids tariffs.
Here's the plan. The Northern US states all join Canada. The Southern Half of US states join Mexico. The US is gone. Canada & Mexico join to become 1 huge nation. (putin shits himself!) And then we deport ALL the conservatives out of North America, and live happily ever after. Problem solved. You're Welcome.
Deport conservatives to Afghanistan. It's a perfect match:
- very religious
- hate women
- love guns
- Libertarian paradise. Become a warlord!
- Don't have to worry about immigrants.
Alternatively, there's Russia. All those AR-15 lovers can get paid to go kill people!
Deport them to... Where? Space? I hope. Without oxygen.
There are places in the world where we can send them and they can't hurt others. https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/749af21064e34f029bdd53946d9d941a
Yes that sounds good
Based
Why isn't Canada summoning the US ambassador to demand official explanations?
They don't need explanation or translation for "he dumb and doesn't understand money outside of wanting more".
The situation is embarrassing enough. No need to bring shame to the ambassador that most likely heard about it from some news outlet too.
The Canadian prime Minister went and spoke directly to Trump.
And Trump laughed him off.
And how do you know the ambassador hasn't already had those meetings?
Canadian officials have been in communication with American governers, senators, congressmen and even mayors to discuss the situation and what sort of response they might expect.
A big part of the problem is that Trump doesn't listen to the advice of anyone once he gets some stupid idea stuck in his head.
But it's all shit talking and "jokes". Summoning the ambassador, the Canadian government as an institution can officially demand an official response from the US government as an institution. Sovereign state to sovereign state. This is serious business not a social media exchange.
It would basically demand the US government to produce its formal demands of Canada. Anything else should be ignored as farts and white noise.
Why the fuck is this asshole fighting with fucking Canada? Goddamn I can't wait until he dies.
I want to piss on his grave. Seriously, they better have that shit locked down or at the top of a mausoleum or something. Otherwise, I want to try and make it a national pastime.
That’s the only feasible reason I can see to ever give my tourist money to the USA ever again.
I actually thought about this a while ago. Surely there are many hated people in the world, but some world leaders take the cake. I would pay to piss on Putin's grave for example. So... Why isn't there a business opportunity here? Buy the graveyard holding them, sell tickets to piss on Putin/Trump/Kimjong/Xi/whoever. You can make it into a holiday - 1000 euro for a weekend in a Moscow hotel, you visit the Kremlin, you piss on Putin's grave, you go home with a shirt that says "I literally pissed on Putin and all I got was this lousy Polonium-engraved t-shirt". I almost bought pissonputinsgrave.com when I thought about this, but I lack the funds to actually buy their graveyards.
Surely there's something here for our society, right? We're all tired of oppression at the hands of a few power-hungry old fucks and are just waiting for them to die so that we can finally release our common prostate. Or is it just me and you that would love the satisfaction of defiling the corpses of these cunt dictators?
I live in Germany but I'm more than willing to send a stool and urine Sample via overnight express to the USA as soon as this sack of human-goo and spray tan gets put in the ground.
I’ll make it a holiday. I’m going to have to remember that.
He thinks he's doing that Art of the Dipshit "Anchoring" shit.
So many people are extremely missing the point here
Trump is purposefully threatening Canada to give his canadian conservative buddy Poilievre something to "fight" against, to make him look good
"Wow Poilievre is standing up against Trump, I'm gonna vote for him!"
That's the game plan, in reality the two dipshits are best buds and can collude together to fuck over both countries extra hard, after conservatives get a majority over here.
It's a stunt to get conservatives in charge over here "against" Trump, which is so fucking stupid and yet it's probably gonna work cuz so many people are gonna fall for it.
I don't think the liberal party has a good play against it, other than if our new liberal leader challenges Trump and musk to a boxing match and literally bears the shit out of them on live television
I unironically think the Lincoln "I'll fight you let's go right now" leader who seriously fucks up Musk or Zuckerberg or any of those dipshits on live television would actually win by a landslide here
It's fuckin stupid but that's what works apparently...
The Conservative Premier of Ontario, Doug Ford, is already doing that. I've heard his ads on the radio calling for Ontarioans to give him a majority government so he "can stand up to Trump". The guy spent his time as Premier standing up to nurses and bike lanes. This new stand up against Trump shtick is just more faux populism.
Trump is purposefully threatening Canada to give his canadian conservative buddy Poilievre something to "fight" against, to make him look good
Except Polierve has been the slowest and the quietest to speak out against this bullshit that Trump is trying to pull.
Trump is purposefully threatening Canada to give his canadian conservative buddy Poilievre something to "fight" against, to make him look good
This theory is predicated on 1) Trump remembering who PP is, 2) caring enough about who is running Canada to have it drive policy.
I don't think either of these things are true.
They literally have meetings, and Trump obviously cares about conservatives willing to help him grift being in charge...
He’s done the same with Putin
I don't think the liberal party has a good play against it, other than if our new liberal leader challenges Trump and musk to a boxing match and literally bears the shit out of them on live television
Ahh, well that's not good. Love him or hate him, I think one thing everyone could agree on about Trudeau is that he'd do pretty well in a politician boxing league.
Trudeau is out, we are voting in a new leader shortly
Hopefully they vote someone in who unironically would challenge dipshits to boxing matches
other than if our new liberal leader challenges Trump and musk to a boxing match and literally bears the shit out of them on live television
That would probably get me to vote liberal for the first time in my life
He’s looking for more bribes. ‘Pay me, or else.’
Is electoral reform still a policy of the liberal party? Will they Lucy football it away once the election is over again?
I'm willing to die not to join the US.
Lots of us are
👍
Remember when he said he was gonna end the war in gaza and ukraine?
Or cut the prices on gas and food?
Yea, this is abuse of the news cycle. It's just manipulation of news cycle so you don't think about any losses, mistakes or other shit.
Gas jumped $0.40 here this week.
Besides this being a distraction, it's more likely that in this case Canada would end up politically annexing the USA:
- The 2 Senators and 50 something electoral votes for "Canada State" would mean that Canadians would end up controlling US politics. :D
Of course if one assumes that elections remain binding in the Turd Reich.
And why the fuck does orange numbnuts think that Canada's 10 or so provinces would be one state?
And if we get any representation.
Please let this be the trigger for free trade with Europe and all that lovely meat and cheese.
There was a Eu politician that sugeested Canada join the EU instead
I’m down with that. I love Canada but I’d Euro it up to avoid seeing Charles on my currency.
Putin hired him to start pointless nonsensical arguments with our nearest and most vital allies and that's what he's gonna do.
Otherwise he publishes the pee tapes
Any taped content wouldn't sway his cult of loonies. The guy rapes and fantasizes about shooting people on the street. Could be just psycho machismo why they're colluding
Nobody would give a fuck about pee tapes. Cee-pee tapes, maybe, but even then it might still not be enough to bring him down at this point.
Otherwise, it's 100% clear Trump is doing this shit because he's a Putin fanboi and fascist true believer, not because he's somehow being coerced. Stop giving him the benefit of the doubt.
I bet he'll end up sprinkling in a handful of very specific exemptions. These are what we need to slap export taxes on. Doesn't need to be much, but match his 25%. At best it'll hammer them where they need it, at worst it'll keep things fair for all our exporters.
Canada please join the EU!!!
We’ve been trying but our current leader is pro-US
I still remember fondly the Trump speech at the UN when the whole assembly laughed at him.
I suspect that there's going to be a lot more of that to come.
Now he's being told to "fuck off" on the floor of the EU parliament.
And Canada collectively tells him to go fuck himself. Seriously, he really thinks that will make them want to join him?
There are a lot of MAGA idiots in Canada, weirdly enough, and Canada is about to elect the Conservatives under a MAGA-style populist hate-monger who borrows his promises directly from Republicans. As a Canadian, I don't wholly trust Canadians to resist this hard enough, especially with almost all Canadian media being right wing and the Conservatives promising to shut down what isn't.
Yup. America is currently riding the brain rot rollercoaster, and we're waiting in line holding our ticket.
I'm equally curious and terrified to find out where the line between "we love trump" Conservatives and "we need our own trump" Conservatives lies. Even if, purely for arguments sake, we accept that all his policies are amazing, they're amazing for a different country and actively detrimental to ours. Assuming we get stuck with PP he's going to have to make a choice. Which half of his base does he agree with? Will he stand up for our country, or roll over and hope the Yanks have their way with us gently. Unfortunately I feel he's going to fumble and fail to do either.
Even if Canada would merge with the US, surely it wouldn’t become a state. We all know the importance of the Senate at this point, and how the two-senators-per-state rule affects things. At the very least, each province would want to become a state to get more senators, and it may be in the best interest of some of the larger provinces like Ontario or Quebec to subdivide to gain even more, if they can get away with it. Goodness knows the idea of splitting California has been floated by some to try to get something closer to senator-per-capita parity.
Y'know, I can see a future where Canada gets annexed, but not Quebec. Those francophones will burn down the whole province down and salt the earth before they became US citizens. I just know it. And I wouldn't blame them one little tiny bit.
We all know the importance of the Senate at this point
Trump does not understand how anything in the U.S. government works, you must know that.
Idea: split canada in 200 states, take over the senate!
So a huge state with an overton window to the left of the US?
But why have only one state when we can have more!
Use gerrymandering tactics to pack all the conservatives in one state, then split the rest in a 60/40 ratio, and make them all winner take all.
magats will lose presidency and the senate forever
How do you like them apples?
Don't even talk about the possibility. Don't even weigh it up. He needs to be told and shown very firmly that this will never happen.
They'll still only have 2 additional liberal senators.
Over my dead body, eh you hoser, tabarnak!
Reminder that Tariffs dont work as a threat to other nations.
The selling price is the same for the seller, they already give the lowest price they can profit from because the modern era allows international distributors to find a demand anywhere, the buyers are the ones paying the import tax for the same goods.
If you were selling and then the buyer had a tariff you wouldn't just agree to take less money as a result.
That's not strictly true, they don't "pay the tariff" obviously but they do have to balance profit margin and lost sales. Tariffs are likely to decrease number of sales which does hurt their bottom line, the question then is if they just take a loss in sales, cut into their profit margins trying to lower the price to the US (very unlikely the margins are nearly enough for this to be viable let alone preferable) or increase prices further to offset the lower sales. Probably will be mostly the former with raw material type goods and mostly the latter with high end finished goods.
Right, that's what I was thinking. Surely it hurts the seller. But it also hurts the buyer, so it's like 🙄 well done, Trump...
Isn't the point to make the domestic customers choose products from other nations? Why wouldn't that be a threat to the nation that is selling?
I think it's a "threat" but not a very good one.
There might be 3 brands of toothbrush available to buy in the US but maybe all of them are manufactured in China. If you just tariff everything from China then US consumers will just pay more because there's no incentive for manufacturers to absorb the tariff.
It's a threat to Chinese toothbrush manufacturers because it creates an incentive for other manufacturers to pop up elsewhere, maybe someone will start manufacturing toothbrushes in the US. These toothbrushes would be cheaper than the tariffed ones for consumers to buy, but obviously more expensive than toothbrushes used to be before the tariffs.
In summary, because consumers are unlikely to buy less toothbrushes, they just end up paying more.
Yeah but it only really works if it's targeted. Threatening blanket tariffs on countries that represent 60% of all imports (EU, China, Mexico, Canada) takes a bit of the impact away, it's unlikely domestic production could handle all that. Even if it could, why wouldn't American companies raise their prices as much as they felt they now could?
