CNN "Trump Shaking Canadian Politics, Warning for Han Also"

'US 51st State' and 25% Tariff Pressure
"Ally Political Turmoil to Gain Negotiation Advantage"

Donald Trump, the President-elect of the United States who champions "America First," is shaking up Canada, the U.S.'s closest ally, to gain an advantageous position in trade negotiations. Analysts suggest that countries experiencing political turmoil, such as South Korea, France, and Germany, could be Trump’s next targets.

On the 18th (local time), CNN reported that Trump is deepening the crisis threatening to oust Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, thereby fueling political instability in Canada.

President-elect Donald Trump of the United States. Photo by Reuters-Yonhap News

On the same day, Trump claimed on his social media platform Truth Social, "Many Canadians want Canada to become the 51st state of the United States." The phrase "51st state of the United States" is insulting to Canada, a sovereign nation and ally of the U.S.

This is not the first time Trump has made such remarks. According to Fox News, last month, right after announcing on his inauguration day that he would impose a 25% tariff on Canadian goods, Trump told Trudeau, who visited his Mar-a-Lago residence, "If you can’t meet the demands, become the 51st state of the U.S." The day before, he referred to Chrystia Freeland, Canada’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance, who resigned after clashing with Trudeau, as "the finance minister under Governor Justin."

CNN described this as an "unusually tough approach" and evaluated it as a strategy to gain the upper hand in trade negotiations. The outlet added, "Political turmoil in the Canadian government could not be better for Trump. He removed Minister Freeland, who had clashed with the U.S. during his first term," and noted that this aligns with Trump’s view of all foreign policy as a business dispute where only one side wins.

The problem is that Trump may turn his attention to other countries after Canada. CNN pointed out, "Trump’s willingness to interfere in the domestic politics of allied countries will serve as a warning to governments in countries like South Korea, France, and Germany, which are politically unstable and internally divided, making it difficult to retaliate." South Korea is a representative country with a large trade surplus with the U.S. During his presidential campaign, Trump called South Korea a "money machine" and demanded $10 billion (approximately 14.519 trillion won) in defense costs.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.