Trudeau informs business leaders that Trump’s proposal to annex Canada is a genuine concern

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau addressed a business conference on Friday, stating that US President Donald Trump’s suggestion of annexing Canada “is a real thing,” as confirmed by two Canadian business leaders present at the event to CNN.

Trudeau’s remarks, initially reported by the Toronto Star, were inadvertently captured by an open microphone when he assumed the media had exited the venue.

“Mr. Trump seems to think that the simplest approach is to incorporate our nation, and this is indeed a serious matter. In my discussions with him on…,” Trudeau stated, according to audio from the Canada-US Economic Summit in Toronto shared by CBC News, before the microphone abruptly stopped.

These comments followed his opening address at the summit, after journalists had departed, as reported by CBC.

In a prior interview with CNN before Trump took office, Trudeau remarked that Trump’s assertions about making Canada the 51st state were merely a diversion from the implications of Trump’s tariff threats.

He emphasized that Canada becoming a US state was “not going to happen.”

“Canadians take immense pride in their identity. One of the clearest ways we distinguish ourselves is by saying, well, we’re not American,” he told CNN’s “The Lead with Jake Tapper” during the early January interview.

“President Trump, being a very adept negotiator, is managing to divert attention with that narrative, which detracts from the critical discussion regarding 25% tariffs on oil, gas, electricity, steel, aluminum, lumber, and concrete,” Trudeau noted in the CNN interview.

Last week, Trump acted on his threats by imposing tariffs on Canada, declaring a new 25% duty on the majority of Canadian goods entering the United States. However, following Prime Minister Trudeau’s assurances to enhance security at the Canadian border, Trump announced on Monday a temporary suspension of the proposed tariffs for a minimum of one month.

In a conversation with Trump, Trudeau confirmed that Canada would proceed with its previously outlined $1.3 billion border initiative, in addition to pledging to appoint a “fentanyl czar” and designating cartels as terrorist organizations.