Summary

Donald Trump’s push to annex Canada as the 51st U.S. state is confusing due to its sudden and unexplained emergence.

Initially praising Canada as an ally, Trump now aggressively seeks annexation, imposing tariffs, criticizing trade deficits, and challenging established borders and treaties.

Former officials and congressional Republicans express bewilderment, stating they have “no clue” about Trump’s motivation.

Canadian leaders and the U.S. business community strongly oppose the move, citing sovereignty and economic harm.

Republicans also question Trump’s strategy, noting annexation would add millions of liberal-leaning voters and complicate American politics.

  • teft@lemmy.world
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    21 days ago

    I mean it really isn’t confusing if you look at it through the lens of Putin told his lackey to fuck up everything he could concentrating on wrecking our strongest trading and defense relationships.

    Seen through that lens it’s very clear what the agenda is: Weaken the US and its allies.

  • evasive_chimpanzee@lemmy.world
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    21 days ago

    It’s not really confusing. His whole strategy, as we saw during his first term, is to do and say so much outrageous stuff that no particular scandal can stick with him. He also thinks being a bully is being a good businessman.

    I doubt he would actually want to annex anywhere, but it’s easy ragebait that he can keep bringing up to keep news on that and off of his crimes.

  • can@sh.itjust.works
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    21 days ago

    “Canada only works as a state,” Trump said Thursday. “We don’t need anything they have. As a state, it would be one of the great states anywhere. This would be the most incredible country, visually. If you look at a map, they drew an artificial line right through it, between Canada and the U.S. Just a straight, artificial line. Somebody did it a long time ago, many many decades ago. Makes no sense. It’s so perfect as a great and cherished state.”

    They’re all “artificial” lines Donald

    • WoodScientist@sh.itjust.works
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      20 days ago

      Trump sees the world through the lens of autarky. It’s like the man fell out of the 18th century. He thinks nations are these self-sufficient organisms living on the planet, competing for resources, etc. He thinks trade means dependency and weakness, rather than mutual benefit and specialization. The man has never had to share anything with anyone in his entire life; it’s not surprising he would have such a warped world view.

      That is what he means by “Canada only works as a (US) state.” The US really could make a decent play at autarky. The US gets about 30% of its GDP from trade; Canada gets 70%. It’s foolish to try to do it overnight. But if the US wanted to make an attempt at autarky, and made the transition over decades? The US could pull that off. It would mean being poorer than we would be otherwise. We would have to accept more expensive and lower quality goods, but we could do it. The US has a large enough land area, population, and resource base that it could, on its own, maintain an industrial society completely from domestic resources.

      Canada? It would have a much, much harder time at autarky. If both the US and Canada forever closed all their international borders tomorrow, Canada would end up a lot worse off than the US. Canada, as an island nation unto itself, would have a really hard time surviving.

      Of course, there’s no damn reason that nations need to survive by autarky. They’re not independent islands. And we all grow richer by specialization and trade. But that fundamentally is not how Trump sees the world.

    • Zerlyna@lemmy.world
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      21 days ago

      Each province should be a state! We will be come blue as a country and can have Medicare for all and high speed rail.

  • Carmakazi@lemmy.world
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    21 days ago

    Why believe Congressional Republicans at their word when they say they don’t support this talk or don’t know where it is coming from? They’re collaborator filth. They will “suddenly” fall in line when something actionable is put forth.

  • PearOfDees@lemmy.world
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    21 days ago

    The Canadians are our homies, why would orange want to hurt our homie? They’ve been with us thru thick and thin, and now orange wants to fuck things up for us? Don’t think we want this either dear Canadians, those ball guzzlers just regurgitate whatever orange says. Even if it hurts us, by Canadian goods only until orange leaves office, if not sooner because homies should only kiss, not attack.

  • sporkler@lemmy.world
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    20 days ago

    It was on one of the pieces of paper he agreed to sign when he accepted the money and ‘technical assistance’, so he’s 100% on board.

  • RowRowRowYourBot@sh.itjust.works
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    21 days ago

    Climate change will make the southern 2/3 of the USA unlivable within a few decades. Canada has a lot of land. Trump’s teamwants it and the resources within.

  • ZephyrXero@lemmy.world
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    19 days ago

    He wants all of North America it seems pretty clear to me. From the Arctic to Panama he’s planning to conquer. Then after that, I don’t know. He might try for the whole world