The leader of Canada’s most populous province gave Donald Trump a taste of his own medicine Monday, jokingly offering to purchase several U.S. states.
“You know something, to the president, I’ll make him a counteroffer. How about if we buy Alaska, and we’ll throw in Minnesota and Minneapolis at the same time?” Doug Ford, the premier of Ontario, said at a news conference. “It’s not realistic. I know he likes making these comments and he likes joking around. I take that seriously.”
“Under my watch, that will never, ever happen,” he said of Trump’s proposal to merge Canada with the U.S.
The president-elect has been persistently trolling about making Canada the 51st U.S. state since November, and on Monday renewed his provocations after the country’s prime minister, Justin Trudeau, announced his intention to resign after his party selects a new leader.
“Many people in Canada LOVE being the 51st State,” Trump posted Monday on Truth Social. “The United States can no longer suffer the massive Trade Deficits and Subsidies that Canada needs to stay afloat. Justin Trudeau knew this, and resigned.”
Ford later told CNN’s Erin Burnett his offer to buy U.S. states was in jest.
“We’re a sovereign country. We’re proud Canadians just like Americans are proud,” he said.
Trump on Tuesday threatened “economic force” against Canada to absorb it into the U.S. and reiterated his threat to impose major tariffs on Canadian goods.