Donald Trump ‘Trolls Canada’ with 51st State Remark

Donald Trump has been accused of “trolling” Canada after he shared an AI-generated image of himself standing in front of mountains and a Canadian flag on his Truth Social website, along with the caption “Oh Canada!”

Trump’s post came after Fox News reported the president-elect suggested to Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau that “maybe Canada should become the 51st state” to avoid a proposed 25 percent tariff on all goods from Canada entering the United States.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau shared this image to social media a day after meeting with U.S. President-Elect Donald Trump at his Mar-a-Lago residence in Palm Beach, Fla., on Friday night. Photo by Justin Trudeau /X

On November 25 Trump announced he would impose a 25 percent tariff on “ALL products” from Canada and Mexico “until such time as Drugs, in particular Fentanyl, and all Illegal Aliens stop this Invasion of our Country!” Just days later, on November 29, Trudeau flew to Trump’s Mar-a-Lago residence in Florida where he had what he described as an “excellent conversation” with the incoming president.

However, Fox News suggested the meeting was at times tense, with Trudeau telling Trump “that new tariffs would kill the Canadian economy.” In response, the network said “Trump joked to him that if Canada can’t survive without ripping off the U.S. to the tune of $100 billion a year, then maybe Canada should become the 51st state and Trudeau could become its governor.”

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and U.S. president-elect Donald Trump, all smiles, at the Trump Table at Mar-a-Lago – an image that must have driven Alberta Premier Danielle Smith wild with envy. Photo by Sen. Dave McCormick/X.

Trump has since 2018 claimed the U.S. loses around $100 billion to Canada each year on trade. However, according to the independent website factcheck.org, this figure includes re-exports, goods that come into the U.S. from a third country before moving on to Canada, and only counts trade in goods, excluding services. Any goods deficit is a result of certain Canadian raw materials, such as oil and timber, being sought by American companies.

Trump posted his “Oh Canada!” image on Truth Social on Tuesday, where it received over 9,000 shares and 43,000 likes. He also shared it on Facebook, where it garnered 14,000 shares, 145,000 likes, and over 28,000 comments.
While the message was already confusing, the iconic Matterhorn could be seen in the background. On X rival Bluesky, Eliot Higgins, founder of investigative journalism site Bellingcat, pointed out that the mountain in the background of Trump’s picture is actually the Matterhorn, located on the border between Italy and Switzerland, not one from Canada. Also Polling Canada, an importrant survey company posted on X:

Donald Trump posted an AI-generated pic of himself standing atop a mountain by the Canadian flag. Photo by Donald Trump / Facebook

It sparked a heated social media reaction on both sides of the U.S.-Canada border. George Behizy, a Trump supporter with over 530,000 X followers shared a screenshot of the incoming president’s post on the platform adding: “President Trump just posted this… I think he’s serious about making Canada our 51st State.”

The “Canada Proud” X account, which describes itself as “AGAINST the Trudeau liberals” and has 258,000 followers, also shared a screenshot of the president-elect’s post adding: “Trump just posted this to his social media. Is he trolling Trudeau?”

Another Canada-affiliated account, titled “Tokyo Rosie,” shared a screenshot of Trump’s post alongside a short video of a man convulsing as though having a fit. They wrote: “Trump trolls Canada on social media. Meanwhile, the left in Canada…“

Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders jokingly posted: “Trump has suggested that Canada become the 51st state in our union. “Does that mean that we can adopt the Canadian health care system and guarantee health care to all, lower the cost of prescription drugs, and spend 50% less per capita on health care? I’m all for it.”

However, “Republicans against Trump,” a group which has over 777,000 followers, wrote: “There’s nothing funny or clever about the President-elect repeatedly ‘joking’ that Canada should become part of the United States. It’s going to be four long years with this deranged buffoon in the White House.“

Trump’s latest post isn’t the first time he has toyed with the territorial expansion of the United States. In 2019 the then-president confirmed he was interested in purchasing Greenland, an autonomous Danish territory with a population of 56,000 people. However, the idea was quickly shot down by Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen who called it “absurd” adding: “Greenland is not for sale. That’s where the conversation ends.“

https://x.com/CanadianPolling/status/1864077785234370709?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1864077785234370709%7Ctwgr%5E4b1c8c5415ea8cec1d8469c3176750bfb7a26550%7Ctwcon%5Es1_c10&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fembedly.forbes.com%2Fwidgets%2Fmedia.html%3Ftype%3Dtext2Fhtmlkey%3D3ce26dc7e3454db5820ba084d28b4935schema%3Dtwitterurl%3Dhttps3A%2F%2Fx.com%2FCanadianPolling%2Fstatus%2F1864077785234370709image%3D

All Jokes Aside

While Canada may not be taking Trump’s comments too seriously—and there’s little reason to believe Ottawa is particularly upset by the photo—it still serves as a reminder of the potential harm politicians can cause when posting on social media.

That doesn’t mean politicians should avoid these platforms. Social media allows for a more direct connection with citizens than ever before.

“Politicians should engage with their constituents where they are, even if it’s on social media,” said Schreiner. “A quick look at various politicians’ posts on X/Twitter or Facebook often reveals that they are respectful and measured in their approach. They typically communicate about policy issues or share glimpses of non-public moments.”

Politics Is Easy, Comedy Is Hard!

This situation also highlights the ongoing political divide on social media platforms.

“In the early days of Facebook and Twitter, social media was seen as a friendly town square, and no one anticipated the unintended consequences that would lead to its current toxicity,” Schreiner said, noting that the rise of AI-generated content means misleading posts can spread more easily.

Next time, it might not just be a mountain from the wrong continent.

“As technology has evolved, we’re nearing the point where AI is ubiquitous, yet we still lack proper guardrails,” Schreiner cautioned. “The combination of social media and AI, without appropriate safeguards, poses significant risks.”