Trump Revives ’51st State’ Comments in Reaction to Canada’s Recession News

U.S. President Donald Trump reacted to the news that Canada has entered a technical recession by once again calling for the country to join the United States as its “51st state.”

Trump made the comment in a June 1 post on Truth Social, writing “51st State!” alongside a link to a Bloomberg article about the recession. Trump’s post was reposted on X the following day by U.S. Ambassador to Canada Pete Hoekstra.

Statistics Canada had reported on May 29 that Canada’s economy showed no growth in the first quarter of 2026 after contracting in the last quarter of 2025. The country’s GDP declined for two consecutive quarters on an annualized basis, meeting the common definition of a technical recession.

Prime Minister Mark Carney was asked by reporters in Montreal about Trump’s comments. Carney said his government would “take the [U.S.] administration as it is” and continue working together in a variety of areas. Carney also said he would not ask Hoekstra to leave his position.

“In another world, it’s a bit strange, but we live in this current world, and it’s an aspect of U.S. negotiations,” he said in French.

Ontario Premier Doug Ford also reacted to Hoekstra’s repost, saying, “I can’t believe I have to say this again, but Canada will never be the 51st state. Canada is not for sale.”

Ford also said that, adjusted for population, Ontario created 680 percent more jobs than the United States in April.

While Trump frequently suggested in early 2025, during Justin Trudeau’s tenure as prime minister, that Canada could join the United States, he made such remarks less often after Carney became Canada’s leader. His most recent reference to Canada as the “51st state” came in September 2025, during a speech to military officials.

In January 2026, Trump also posted a photo on Truth Social depicting Canada, Greenland, Venezuela, and Cuba as part of the United States.

Trump’s latest comments come amid negotiations on the Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement (CUSMA). Canada-U.S. Trade Minister Dominic LeBlanc recently sent a letter formally notifying his U.S. counterparts that Canada wants the free trade agreement renewed ahead of the review set to begin in July.

As activity around the CUSMA review intensifies ahead of its July start, discussions between Canada and the United States have moved more slowly than those between the United States and Mexico. The first round of formal talks around the CUSMA review between the United States and Mexico ended last week, and two more rounds have been scheduled for June and July.

Carney told reporters on June 2 that there is currently a “bifurcated discussion” among CUSMA partners because the United States has different technical issues with Canada than with Mexico. He said there are about 30 trade issues between Canada and the United States, compared with roughly 60 between the United States and Mexico, and said the matters are being worked through.

Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre criticized Trump’s latest post about Canada becoming the 51st State, telling reporters the idea was “ridiculous” and “never going to happen.”

Poilievre added that Trump’s comments should not serve as a distraction from “the very real suffering that Canadians are experiencing as a result of Liberal policies here at home.”

“The families who can’t afford food, the one in four Canadians who are living in food insecurity—they don’t want us to be distracted by a foolish comment like that. They want us to focus on reversing the Liberal policies that have made them hungry in the first place,” he said.