Washington DC: With Donald Trump’s annexing Canada as America’s 51st state leading to a rift, Justin Trudeau may come face to face with the US president-elect as the Canadian prime minister visits Washington DC on Thursday to attend former president Jimmy Carter’s funeral and a meeting with business leaders.
Trudeau has strongly rebuked Trump’s narrative of absorbing Canada into the US using “economic force”, saying “not a snowball’s chance in hell” that could happen.
He highlighted the strong bilateral ties between the two nations, emphasising the importance of trade and security cooperation for their shared prosperity. “Workers and communities in both our countries benefit from being each other’s biggest trading and security partners,” Trudeau said.
Carter, who passed away on December 29 at the age of 100, served as President of the United States from 1977 to 1981. He was widely admired for his humanitarian work following his presidency, which earned him the Nobel Peace Prize in 2002.
According to an AFP report, a state funeral will be held on Thursday at the National Cathedral, an Episcopal church in Washington, DC, which has also hosted the funerals of former presidents Dwight Eisenhower, Ronald Reagan, Gerald Ford, and George H.W. Bush.
What Trump said about acquiring Canada
Tensions between Donald Trump and Justin Trudeau flared after the U.S. President-elect, during a press conference following his election victory, suggested that Canada could become the 51st state.
“You get rid of that artificially drawn line, and you take a look at what that looks like,” Trump said, claiming that such a merger would enhance national security, given that the US already protects Canada.
