Trump’s quip about Canada becoming 51st state was a joke, says minister who was there

President-elect Donald Trump joked at one point during his dinner with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Friday night that if Canada can't handle the economic effects of a punishing 25 per cent tariff on its goods, it should become the 51st state of the U.S.

Public Safety Minister Dominic LeBlanc, who was with Trudeau at the intimate dinner at Mar-a-Lago, said Trump's quip was quite clearly a joke — and not some sort of signal of a serious plan to annex Canada.

"In a three-hour social evening at the president's residence in Florida on a long weekend of American Thanksgiving, the conversation was going to be light-hearted. The president was telling jokes, the president was teasing us, it was, of course, in no way a serious comment," LeBlanc said.

"The fact that there's a warm, cordial relationship between the two leaders and the president is able to joke like that, we think, is a positive thing," he said.

Trudeau and the small Canadian contingent, which included LeBlanc and Katie Telford, his chief of staff, met with Trump for what was largely a social evening at Mar-a-Lago, but also included talk of the tariffs and what Canada can do to harden the border to stop the flow of drugs and migrants.

WATCH | 'The president was teasing us,' says LeBlanc of Trump's '51st state' comment:

‘The president was teasing us,’ says LeBlanc of Trump's '51st state' comment

19 minutes ago

Duration 1:09

Public Safety Minister Dominic LeBlanc, who was among the small Canadian contingent that dined with President Trump in Mar-a-Lago last week, responds to questions from reporters about Trump saying Canada could become the 51st state. LeBlanc says it was in no way a serious comment.

After Trump first uttered the tariff threat last week, Canada committed to procuring more helicopters and drones to keep a better watch over the border.

While the flow of migrants and illegal drugs over the northern border is a fraction of what crosses over from Mexico, Trump is still concerned with what's coming from Canada — just as Canadian officials are concerned about drugs and guns flowing north.

Asked what exactly Trump said about annexing Canada, LeBlanc stressed the 51st state remark was just one of the "entertaining and funny" moments of the night and then there were "moments when we were able to do good work for Canada" by discussing trade issues and border security.

He said the get-together was "very productive" and there was genuine warmth and cordiality among the Canadians and Americans at the table.

Fox News, which was first to report on Trump's joke, has said the comment prompted nervous laughter from Trudeau and the assembled Canadians.

Gerald Butts, a former senior adviser to Trudeau, said in a social media post Tuesday that "Trump used this 51st state line all the time with Trudeau in his first term," and that it's a dig he uses to "rattle Canadian cages."

"When someone wants you to freak out, don't," Butts cautioned.

WATCH | An insider account of Trudeau's Florida dinner with Trump:

An insider account of Trudeau’s Florida dinner with Trump

2 days ago

Duration 2:51

Minister of Public Safety Dominic LeBlanc provides insider insight into the Mar-a-Lago dinner between Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and U.S. president-elect Donald Trump as Canada seeks to counter the proposed 25 per cent tariff threat.

Trudeau will convene a meeting with Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre and the other opposition party leaders on Parliament Hill later today to brief them on his visit to Florida to meet with Trump and some of his incoming cabinet secretaries.

This meeting, one of the first times Trudeau and Poilievre have met face-to-face in a setting like this, comes as Canada stares down Trump's promised 25 per cent tariffs on its goods — a scheme that has the potential to devastate this country's economy.

The meeting is expected around 1 p.m. ET today, before question period.

Trudeau and his team received no assurances that Canada would be exempt from Trump's promised tariffs at the Friday night dinner.

That led Poilievre to call the meeting a failure.

"Normally, when a Prime Minister goes to the United States to meet a president, they're looking to make gains. What gains did we hear from Mr. Trudeau? None. He's just trying to limit losses," Poilievre said Sunday.

But former advisers to the president have said Trudeau's visit to the Florida estate was something of a diplomatic coup, because the incoming president values personal relationships with other world leaders.

Industry Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne said it's hugely significant that Trudeau got the Florida invite.

"Prime Minister Trudeau is the first leader of the G7 to be hosted by President Trump — that is a testament to the strategic nature of our relationship. When president-elect Trump invites … Prime Minister Trudeau as the first leader to go to Mar-a-Lago, that sends a big signal to the world," he said.

As for Poilievre's criticism that the event was a flop because Canada could still bear the brunt of tariffs in the new year, Champagne said Canada's political leaders need to stand united in the face of these threats.

"Historically, Canadians have always stood together — talking with one voice to the world. The current leader of the opposition should learn from history. The best way to promote Canada's interests, our workers and industry is to speak with one voice."

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