Fox News host Kayleigh McEnany drew mockery and eye rolls on Monday when she suggested that Donald Trump’s idea to make Canada a U.S. state is something many of the country’s residents are actually interested in.
“Could the American flag be adding another star in 2025?” McEnany, the president-elect’s former White House press secretary, said on “The Ingraham Angle.”
“Well, Trump’s idea of making Canada great again by turning it into the 51st state is gaining some serious traction, especially from Canadian citizens,” she added.
Her guest for the segment was Canadian “Shark Tank” investor Kevin O’Leary, who has been publicly advocating for the union.
Trump shared an article Monday on Truth Social that said O’Leary will come to Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida to “start the narrative” about merging the nations. (O’Leary does not represent Canada and has no authority to negotiate on its behalf.)
McLeary told McEnany he intends to visit Trump in Florida to discuss the matter.
He also said he had been conducting “unofficial polling,” and “I bet you more than 70%” of Canadians would be interested in an arrangement where Canada and the U.S. merge economically while allowing Canada to retain its sovereignty.
More structured polling from Canadian market research company Leger shows a somewhat different story.
In a poll conducted earlier this month, the company found that only 13% of Canadians said they would like Canada to become the 51st U.S. state. And 82% said they would not like the idea.
Trump has been joking about adding Canada to the U.S. since he met with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau late last month to discuss the tariffs Trump is threatening to impose on Canadian products.
Commenters on social media weren’t too happy about McEnany’s assertion, calling it a “Masters level gaslight” and “total BS.”
“Wake me from this nightmare!” one person wrote, sharing a clip of her comments.
Check out those reactions and others below.
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