Summary

In a virtual speech at the World Economic Forum, Trump suggested Canada could become a U.S. state to avoid his proposed tariffs on imports.

The remark elicited gasps from the audience.

Trump claimed the U.S. does not need Canadian lumber, energy, or vehicles, vastly overstating the trade deficit between the two nations.

He reiterated his intention to impose tariffs, potentially as high as 25%, on imports from Canada and Mexico starting February 1.

Economists warn such tariffs would raise prices for U.S. consumers.

  • r0ertel@lemmy.world
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    3 months ago

    I’m going to keep posting this every time I see a reference to US tariffs against Canada.

    https://pluralistic.net/2025/01/15/beauty-eh/

    The TL;DR is that tariffs would violate the NAFTA / USMCA treaty in which Canada agreed to respect US copyright law in exchange for free trade. No free trade? Canada doesn’t need to respect US copyright any longer and can become a flourishing economy of products to compete with US products that are massively overpriced. Think printer ink and other stuff.

    • runeko@programming.dev
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      3 months ago

      Yes, please, Canadian produced pharmaceuticals + 15% tariff = an order of magnitude cheaper than what we can buy in the States.

      • chiliedogg@lemmy.world
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        3 months ago

        That’s why buying drugs across the border is specifically illegal. Can’t have us buying our medicine at a fair value.

    • Paragone@lemmy.world
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      3 months ago

      You’re misunderstanding the situation, then, sorry…

      Trump isn’t rational, he is narcissistic-machiavellian-sociopathic.

      IF Canada retaliates like that, THEN Trump may well declare war against Canada.

      They would only need to drop a single large conventional-bomb on Ottawa, & then claim Canada as their “manifest destiny”, declaring all Canadians to be “illegal aliens & criminals”, & their “problem” would be “fixed”.

      He may not have the guts to do that this-week, but he is progressing psychologically, & the end-point of that progression, about 4y in our future, is as the most-murderous-dictator-on-the-planet.

      He will be the complete-set: narcissistic, machiavellian, psychopathic, nihilist, sadist, systemically-dishonest, & hate, before the transformation is complete.

      Tread carefully, when one is near a heavily-armed psychiatrically-defective giant, eh?

      _ /\ _

      • r0ertel@lemmy.world
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        3 months ago

        Sometimes I think you’re right. Other times I think that couldn’t possibly be true.

        I’ve studied many of the bigger wars and they’ve all mostly have been started by far less severe events. It’s scary that one person could wield all that power, unchecked and unaccountable.

        It sounds like it’s time to build a bunker.

    • xenomor@lemmy.world
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      3 months ago

      I want to piss on his grave. Seriously, they better have that shit locked down or at the top of a mausoleum or something. Otherwise, I want to try and make it a national pastime.

      • Roflmasterbigpimp@lemmy.world
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        3 months ago

        I live in Germany but I’m more than willing to send a stool and urine Sample via overnight express to the USA as soon as this sack of human-goo and spray tan gets put in the ground.

    • Paragone@lemmy.world
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      3 months ago

      You will be waiting until 2031 or 2032, then.

      He won’t tolerate the 2028 election, so Civil War Part2 begins around then…

      Only when “either his or NOBODY’s” has finished butchering Turtle Island, will he be “finished”.

      People are living in hopium, instead of understanding the actual context, with the fascists allying globally, to butcher the whole world, for their “glory”, or self-worship…

      Please live strategically: too many are going to be wasted-lives, when things go to hell, for real: this is only the appetizer, I’m afraid…

      _ /\ _

  • pixxelkick@lemmy.world
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    3 months ago

    So many people are extremely missing the point here

    Trump is purposefully threatening Canada to give his canadian conservative buddy Poilievre something to “fight” against, to make him look good

    “Wow Poilievre is standing up against Trump, I’m gonna vote for him!”

    That’s the game plan, in reality the two dipshits are best buds and can collude together to fuck over both countries extra hard, after conservatives get a majority over here.

    It’s a stunt to get conservatives in charge over here “against” Trump, which is so fucking stupid and yet it’s probably gonna work cuz so many people are gonna fall for it.

    I don’t think the liberal party has a good play against it, other than if our new liberal leader challenges Trump and musk to a boxing match and literally bears the shit out of them on live television

    I unironically think the Lincoln “I’ll fight you let’s go right now” leader who seriously fucks up Musk or Zuckerberg or any of those dipshits on live television would actually win by a landslide here

    It’s fuckin stupid but that’s what works apparently…

  • Cassa@lemmy.blahaj.zone
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    3 months ago

    Remember when he said he was gonna end the war in gaza and ukraine?

    Or cut the prices on gas and food?

    Yea, this is abuse of the news cycle. It’s just manipulation of news cycle so you don’t think about any losses, mistakes or other shit.

  • notsoshaihulud@lemmy.world
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    3 months ago

    Besides this being a distraction, it’s more likely that in this case Canada would end up politically annexing the USA:

    • The 2 Senators and 50 something electoral votes for “Canada State” would mean that Canadians would end up controlling US politics. :D

    Of course if one assumes that elections remain binding in the Turd Reich.

  • HappySkullsplitter@lemmy.world
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    3 months ago

    So much political theater and me without my opera glasses

    Cutting off trade with Canada would devastate the US economy overnight

  • Gammelfisch@lemmy.world
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    3 months ago

    Putin’s Sock Puppet taking orders from Moscow to divide the NATO members. For starters, the Canadians should stop buying US made weapons, because the current US leadership is unhinged and unreliable. If anything, the Blue States should become Canadian Provinces.

  • x00z@lemmy.world
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    3 months ago

    “Surrender to my imperialism or I’m going to ruin your economy”

  • DaddleDew@lemmy.world
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    3 months ago

    And Canada collectively tells him to go fuck himself. Seriously, he really thinks that will make them want to join him?

  • AnUnusualRelic@lemmy.world
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    3 months ago

    I still remember fondly the Trump speech at the UN when the whole assembly laughed at him.

    I suspect that there’s going to be a lot more of that to come.