Trump still wants Canada and Greenland

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^^^
But that would require Trump to think two or three steps ahead, which is difficult for such an appetite driven individual like himself.

It's hard to imagine anyone who pretends to be Conservative to want them. Even if just for political purposes, making them states would be a major boost for the Democrats.

I'm sure you're right. Just dreaming about universal health care is all.

The real problem with Trump taking Greenland against Greenland's and/or Denmark's wish is not about how it would affect the number of votes either way in the US elections, but that would be an act of war against EU and that EU and US would probably go separate ways after that. I heard a French official refering to that they have nuclear weapons if needed to defend EU territorites adding "God forbid it comes down to that!" If Trump has any sense at all this is him bluffing.

If Trump decides to try his luck with a trade war against Denmark (and EU) his supporters should keep in mind that the Danish company Novo Nordisk is a large provider of diabetes medicine like Ozempic to the US. If the gloves are off Denmark could deal a major blow to the MAGA movement.

Canada's outgoing Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has told a group of business leaders he believes President Donald Trump might be serious about annexing his country.

Trudeau suggested Trump has floated the idea of taking over Canada and making it the "51st state" because he wants to access the country's critical minerals.

"Mr Trump has it in mind that the easiest way to do it is absorbing our country and it is a real thing," the prime minister said.

His comments were made behind closed doors at a Canada-US Economic Summit in Toronto, but were captured in part by a microphone and were reported on by several Canadian media outlets.

The summit was attended by more than 100 business leaders and public policy experts, and was hosted by the Canadian government's newly created advisory council on Canada-US relations.

Trump had suggested repeatedly, both in posts on his social media platform Truth Social and in remarks to reporters, that Canada could become a US state instead to avoid the tariffs. He has also referred to the country's prime minister as "Governor Trudeau".

"What I'd like to see - Canada become our 51st state," Trump said earlier this week at the Oval Office, when asked about what concessions Canada could offer.

rump first mentioned the idea of absorbing Canada at a dinner with Trudeau in December, shortly after he first threatened the tariffs. At the time, Canadian officials dismissed it as a joke.

But Trudeau's comments on Friday suggest a shift in how Canada might be perceiving Trump's remarks.

An Ipsos poll conducted in January shows that the majority of Canadians (80%) oppose their country becoming part of the US, and would never vote 'yes' in any referendum on the issue.

Such a move would also require the approval of both chambers of Congress in the US, and would need a supermajority of 60 votes to get through the Senate.

In Canada, Trump's threats have caused nationwide anxiety. Around three-quarters of Canadian exports are sold to the US, and steep tariffs on those goods could deeply hurt Canada's economy and risk thousands of job losses.

Some provincial politicians have been launching "buy local" campaigns to encourage Canadians to spend their money at home instead of the US. Some Canadians have cancelled trips to south of the border in protest.

But officials have also tried to push closer ties with the US in the wake of the tariffs, saying that Canada was open to establishing a Canada-US alliance on energy and critical minerals.

At Friday's summit, Trudeau said Canada was facing the possibility of "a more challenging, long-term political situation with the United States", and must find ways to strengthen its own economy and trade ties in the years ahead.

After US President Donald Trump threatened Canada with steep tariffs, Monika Morelli from Montreal cancelled her subscriptions to Netflix and Amazon, two giant American companies.

She also called off a trip that she had planned for later in the year to New Orleans.

"There is something that has been irrevocably broken now, after centuries of the US and Canada being allies," Ms Morelli, 39, told the BBC.

The threaten of import taxes, she said, plus Trump's remarks that Canada could become the 51st US state, "have made something snap in us all".

Trump had vowed to slap a 25% tariff on both Canada and Mexico this week, citing issues with border security.

He then struck a surprise deal with Mexico on Monday that resulted in the duties being delayed for 30 days in exchange for more Mexican troops at the border. A similar deal was agreed with Canada later in the day.

For Canadians, who had been deeply anxious about the economic consequences of the tariffs, the delay elicited a sigh of relief. But some feel the threat has caused a rift in the US-Canada relationship.

Data released on Wednesday by national pollster Angus Reid found that 91% of Canadians want their country to rely less on the US in the future, preferring that option over repairing the US-Canada relationship, though more than half still wanted to try.

The opinion survey also noted a big jump in national pride, and found that 90% of Canadians were following this issue closely, mimicking engagement levels not seen since the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Shachi Kurl, president of Angus Reid, told the BBC the numbers capture "a moment of unity" in the country. They also showed that Canadians have responded to the US tariffs with a shared sense of anger, she said.

With the US being the largest customer for Canadian goods, the tariffs threaten to push the Canadian economy into a recession and put thousands of jobs at risk.

In addition to the tariffs, Trump has stated repeatedly (possibly as a joke) that Canada should instead become a US state to avoid paying the levy - a remark that has been met with fury from Canadians, and has been seen by some as a threat to their sovereignty.

The issue has made way for a surge of patriotism in Canada - notably uniting people from all political stripes at a time when the country had been deeply divided over the leadership of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his policies.

A "Buy Canadian" sentiment has been pushed by politicians and the general public, with shoppers wanting to support local businesses and avoid purchasing US-made products in protest over the potential tariffs.

Carole Chandler, a 67-year-old retired public school teacher from Halifax, said that she, like Ms Morelli, had cancelled an upcoming holiday to Florida.

"I love America and Americans," she tells the BBC. "But I don't want to be one."

Even with the temporary pause on tariffs, some Canadian provinces are still pushing ahead with "Buy Local" campaigns to encourage people to spend their dollars closer to home.

On Wednesday, Manitoba's premier Wab Kinew said his province will be spending C$140,000 ($97,800; £78,200) on advertising - including on billboards and radio - to push Manitobans to contribute to their local economy.

Provinces are also removing barriers to trade internally within Canada, and many are calling for the country to diversify its trade relationship and build ties elsewhere.

Kinew described the back and forth on the potential tariff war between the US and Canada as akin to "whiplash".

"But through it all, to see people come together and to rally around the flag, to put the Manitoba pride first and foremost, has been very encouraging," Kinew said.

Ms Kurl noted that the Canada-US relationship has endured for centuries, and the two countries have long been close allies and partners on the world stage.

"It's quite an enmeshed relationship," she said.

Canadians share not only deep economic ties with the US, but also familial bonds and the world's longest land border. The US has also long been the top travel destination for Canadians.

She said it would not be easy to untangle those ties, and it remains to be seen whether the recent sentiments over Trump's tariffs signal a fundamental shift between the two countries.

A lot of it, she added, could depend on how the relationship with the current US president progresses, and whether the tariff threat materialises.

As Canadians wait and see what happens, they said they were looking to support their own however they can.

"We don't put on big displays like Americans do," said Ms Chandler from Halifax.

But Canadian patriotism runs deep, she said.