Justin Trudeau reveals how Trump reacted when he floated trading two U.S. states for Canada

Outgoing Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau revealed how he got President-elect Donald Trump to divert his attention from Canada’s annexation during their meeting last year.

Trudeau said Trump’s plan to make Canada a U.S. state came up during his trip to Mar-a-Lago late last year.

“We started musing back and forth about this,” Trudeau recalled of his meeting with Trump.

“And I started suggesting that there might be a trade to Vermont or California for certain parts.”

The Canadian leader revealed what happened during the closed-door meeting during an interview with MSNBC’s Jen Psaki.

“He immediately decided it wasn’t that funny anymore, and we moved on to another conversation,” Trudeau said.

The prime minister reiterated that Canada becoming the 51st state will “never happen” and warned he must remain focused on Trump’s tariff threats.

“Furthermore, if he chooses to continue with tariffs that raise the cost of virtually everything for American citizens, we will need a robust response to that,” Trudeau said.

Trump’s talk of annexing Canada and making it the 51st state was picked up after he won the presidential election in November. Weeks later, he threatened 25 percent tariffs on all Canadian imports.

The president-elect has accused the US’s northern neighbor of not doing enough to stem the flow of drugs and immigrants across the border and of abusing the trade.

While Trudeau got Trump to stop talking about making Canada a state when they met, the newly elected president has since renewed his focus on the topic.

He even repeated his claim that Canada should be the 51st state at Mar-a-Lago on Thursday night.

“I called him Governor Trudeau because they should be the 51st state. It would be a great state,” Trump said. He also baselessly claimed that the people of Canada liked it.

He also reiterated his threat of tariffs on Canada, the U.S.’s largest trading partner, specifically highlighting the auto and lumber industries.

Trump then claimed that the US does not need their fuel or energy.

“We don’t need anything they have,” he claimed, even as imports of U.S. crude oil from Canada hit all-time highs this month.

Trudeau has warned that everything Americans buy from Canada, from fuel to building materials, would suddenly become more expensive if Trump continues with his tariffs.

Economists have warned that some products also cross borders multiple times in the supply chain, which would quickly escalate tariffs.

They have pointed out that the threatened tariffs are not in line with US trade agreements, indicating that the US may not be a reliable partner in the future.

Trudeau with Trump at Mar-a-Lago after meeting with the president-elect to discuss Trump’s tariff threat

Trump reiterated his interest in Canada becoming a U.S. state during a meeting with Republican governors on Jan. 9

But the prime minister told MSNBC that they also had some “good conversations” during his visit to Florida about what they can do together if Trump takes office.

Trudeau responded to Trump’s concerns about the border by saying that less than one percent of illegal immigration and drugs entering the US come from Canada.

“We are not a problem,” Trudeau said. “But we are happy to do that and we have actually responded to his request to do more.”

The prime minister said Canada has invested billions in border security to better address illegal activity at the U.S. northern border, but the biggest concern is at the U.S. southern border.

He said Canada will continue to respond to Trump’s concerns about the borders because it is in the interests of both countries.