Donald Trump told a private meeting behind closed doors on Wednesday evening how he wants to ‘Americanize’ Canada.
The president-elect arrived on Capitol Hill tonight with his wife Melania to meet with Republicans and pay their respects to Jimmy Carter.
The 78-year-old said it was “great” to be back in Congress before heading to the Capitol Rotunda and for talks with the Republican Party.
During the session, the president-elect spoke about his desire to make Canada the 51st state.
“We’ve talked a lot about Canada becoming the fifty-first state,” Sen. Markwayne Mullin, R-Okla., told reporters after leaving the meeting.
In recent days, Trump has escalated his rhetoric about Canada joining America, complaining that the country is heavily dependent on the US.
Republicans also discussed plans on how best to implement the new president’s legislative priorities.
He also said he is “looking” at introducing one bill instead of two in a massive reconciliation package to fund the government and advance some of his key initiatives.
President-elect Donald Trump speaks to the press after paying his respects at the flag-draped casket during the Lying in State ceremony for former President Jimmy Carter at the US Capitol Rotunda in Washington, DC on January 8
The president-elect arrived on Capitol Hill with his wife Melania on Wednesday for meetings with Republicans
The Trumps pay their respects to late President Jimmy Carter
‘It was a very good meeting. Very strong. And we will get something done,” he confirmed as he left the Capitol.
‘One bill, two bills. I don’t care. They’re going to find out. But the end result will be the same.”
His vision for a “big beautiful bill” includes combining border security measures and extending the tax cuts he introduced in 2017.
Trump is in Washington DC on Thursday to attend a memorial service in memory of grieving President Carter at his funeral.
“I came here tomorrow for the funeral,” he told reporters after meeting with Senate Republicans.
“I went there with the first lady and met the Carter family. They were delicious. They were really sad,” he said of his visit.
‘But there was also celebration because he was a very nice man. I know him a little, but I only knew him as a fine man.’
The president also took aim at California Governor Gavin Newsom, criticizing his handling of the multiple fires currently raging around Los Angeles.
Donald Trump arrived on Capitol Hill with his wife Melania on Wednesday for meetings with Republicans and to pay their respects to Jimmy Carter
“I’ve been trying to get Newsom for years to bring in water — dumping it in the Pacific Ocean to save a fish — when he could be saving the state of California,” he said.
He then criticized the Democrat for prioritizing a fish called smelt over the lives of Californians, saying Newsom’s environmental projects did not put Californians first.
In just 12 days, he will take the oath of office and be sworn in on the steps outside the building, capping a historic political comeback.
The incoming first couple walked into the Capitol Rotunda and stood for a moment of silence at his casket.
Melania, dressed in black, held her husband’s hand as they walked through Congress in front of reporters and photographers.
Their action came just hours after Capitol Police arrested a man for trying to enter the complex with a machete and three knives.
The incoming first couple walked into the Capitol Rotunda and stood for a moment of silence at his casket
Trump will be in Washington DC on Thursday to pay his respects to grieving President Carter at his funeral
The 78-year-old president-elect said it was “great” to be back in Congress before heading to the Capitol Rotunda and for talks with the Republican Party.
Melania, dressed in black, held her husband’s hand as they walked through Congress in front of reporters and photographers
Carter has been lying in state in Washington DC since Tuesday afternoon, ahead of his state funeral.
Dignitaries from around the world, including living former presidents, are expected to attend.
President Joe Biden, 82, in one of his last acts in office, will deliver a eulogy before his trip to Rome.