Ambassador Hillman appreciated Trump's joke about Canada being the 51st U.S. state

The joke of US President-elect Donald Trump about turning Canada into the 51st state of the United States is a good signal. Canadian Ambassador to Washington Kristen Hillman said on Dec. 4 on CTV.

"[Trump] made jokes, as others around the table did <...> I actually find it an encouraging [signal] if people are so comfortable together that they are poking fun at each other like that," Hillman said.

She specified that the Canadian authorities have already begun discussions on tariffs on goods with the future head of the White House.

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Earlier, on December 3, it became known that Donald Trump during a meeting with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said that Canada could become the 51st state of the United States, if Ottawa fails to solve the problem of illegal migration and drug smuggling. The President-elect of the United States noted that already on the day of his inauguration on January 20, 2025 he would impose import duties of 25% on all Canadian goods if Ottawa does not manage to fundamentally change the situation with migration across the Canadian border. In turn, the Canadian Prime Minister pointed out to Trump that such measures would kill the Canadian economy.

Before that, on November 25, it was reported that the Canadian authorities are ready to increase defense spending in order to more quickly reach the level corresponding to NATO standards on military indicators in cooperation with the Trump administration.

On November 6, Trudeau held a telephone conversation with Trump, who won the election of the American leader, congratulated the president-elect on his second term and discussed with him bilateral relations between Canada and the United States.