He is serious about Canada becoming 51st US state

WASHINGTON, Feb 10 (AP): President Donald Trump said he is serious about wanting Canada to become the 51st state in an interview that aired Sunday during the Super Bowl preshow.

"Yeah it is," Trump told Fox News Channel's Bret Baier when asked whether his talk of annexing Canada is "a real thing" - as Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau recently warned.

"I think Canada would be much better off being the 51st state because we lose $200 billion a year with Canada. And I'm not going to let that happen," he said. "Why are we paying $200 billion a year, essentially a subsidy to Canada?"

The U.S. is not subsidizing Canada. The U.S. buys products from the natural resource-rich nation, including commodities like oil. While the trade gap in goods has ballooned in recent years to $72 billion in 2023, the deficit largely reflects America's imports of Canadian energy.

Trump has repeatedly suggested that Canada would be better off if it agreed to become the 51st U.S. state - a prospect that is deeply unpopular among Canadians.

Trudeau said this Friday during a closed-door session with business and labor leaders.