During a meeting at Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida, President-elect Trump reportedly joked with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau about making Canada the 51st state of the United States. The two leaders were discussing serious issues, including trade imbalances and border security, which had become a focal point for the incoming administration. Trump had previously threatened to impose a 25% tariff on Canadian goods if Canada did not address issues like illegal immigration and drug trafficking at the US-Canada border. The remark about Canada becoming a state came after Trump voiced concerns that Canada was not doing enough to control the border.

In the meeting, Trump raised the issue of the US trade deficit with Canada, which he estimated to be more than $100 billion. He also criticized Canada’s handling of the border, claiming that large amounts of drugs and illegal immigrants from over 70 different countries were crossing into the US. When Trudeau explained that Canada could not afford to levy such high tariffs due to the potential damage to its economy, Trump pushed back, questioning whether Canada's economy could survive without "ripping off" the United States.

The conversation then took a lighter tone when Trump joked that if Canada could not meet his demands, it could become “a state or two,” with Trudeau as the governor. This comment caused some nervous laughter among those present. Another attendee humorously suggested that Canada could be a "very liberal" state, which added to the laughter. Trump responded by proposing that Canada could even split into two states—one conservative and one liberal—if the country couldn't manage the border and trade issues.