President Donald Trump doubled down on his proposal for Canada to become the 51st U.S. state in a Fox News interview aired Sunday during the Super Bowl pregame show.
When asked by host Bret Baier whether his talk of annexing Canada was serious, Trump replied, “Yeah, it is.”
“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,” Trump said. “Why are we paying $200 billion a year, essentially a subsidy to Canada?”
The U.S. does not subsidize Canada, but imports Canadian goods, including oil and natural resources. The U.S. trade deficit with Canada reached $72 billion in 2023, largely due to energy imports.
Trump’s repeated suggestions that Canada would benefit from becoming a U.S. state have been met with widespread opposition in Canada.
During a closed-door session with business and labor leaders on Friday, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau described Trump’s comments as a serious matter linked to U.S. interests in Canada’s natural resources.
“Mr. Trump has it in mind that the easiest way to do it is absorbing our country, and it is a real thing,” Trudeau said, according to CBC, Canada’s public broadcaster. “They’re very aware of our resources and they very much want to be able to benefit from those.”
During the interview, which was pre-recorded in Florida, Trump expressed dissatisfaction with Canada and Mexico’s efforts to avoid tariffs he has threatened to impose.
“No, it’s not good enough,” he said. “Something has to happen. It’s not sustainable. And I’m changing it.”
Last week, Trump agreed to delay imposing a 25% tariff on all imports from Mexico and Canada—except Canadian oil, natural gas, and electricity, which would be taxed at 10%—for 30 days after both countries took steps to address his concerns over border security and drug trafficking.
While traveling to the Super Bowl in New Orleans on Air Force One, Trump announced plans to implement a 25% tariff on all steel and aluminum imports, including those from Canada and Mexico. He also teased a forthcoming announcement on reciprocal tariffs.
“Very simply, if they charge us, we charge them,” he said.
Trump’s interview marked a return to the presidential tradition of speaking with the network broadcasting the Super Bowl. His predecessor, Joe Biden, declined to participate in 2023 and 2024. During his first term, Trump participated in three out of four years.
Trump also became the first sitting U.S. president to attend the Super Bowl in person, a fact that surprised him.
“I thought it would be a good thing for the country to have the president at the game,” he said.
During his flight to New Orleans, Trump signed a proclamation renaming the Gulf of Mexico as the “Gulf of America” and declared Feb. 9 as the first-ever “Gulf of America Day.”
Trump also defended billionaire Elon Musk, whose Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) has come under scrutiny for shutting down federal agencies and mass layoffs.
“Musk has been terrific,” Trump said, adding that DOGE’s next targets would be the Department of Education and the military.
“We’re going to find billions, hundreds of billions of dollars of fraud and abuse,” Trump claimed. “I campaigned on this.”
Toward the end of the interview, Trump was asked about his signature dance moves, which have become a social media sensation.
“I don’t know what it is. I try and walk off sometimes without dancing, and I can’t. I have to dance because—it’s just that—something special about it,” Trump said.
