President Donald Trump remains deeply unpopular in Canada as he made an Election Day plea for the country to become the “cherished 51st state of the United States of America.”
Newsweek has reached out to the White House for comment via email.
Why It Matters
Trump has repeatedly said he wants to see Canada join the U.S., despite a lack of support for the proposal from most Canadians. But his comments, as well as new tariffs on the neighbor to the north, have played a key role in the nation’s election campaign between Prime Minister Mark Carney‘s Liberal Party and Pierre Poilievre’s Conservative Party.
Carney’s party was on the course for a major electoral loss earlier this year, but has run hard against Trump on the campaign trail. Now, polls suggest the Liberal Party may be poised to hold their majority. Polymarket gave Carney more than an 80-percent chance of remaining prime minister after the election.
What To Know
In a post to Truth Social on Monday, Trump urged Canadians to “elect the man who has the strength and wisdom to cut your taxes in half, increase your military power, for free, to the highest level in the World, have your Car, Steel, Aluminum, Lumber, Energy, and all other businesses, QUADRUPLE in size, WITH ZERO TARIFFS OR TAXES, if Canada becomes the cherished 51st State of the United States of America.”
However, polls show that a large majority of Canadians view Trump in a negative light.
President Donald Trump appears at a news conference at the White House in Washington D.C. on January 21, 2025.
President Donald Trump appears at a news conference at the White House in Washington D.C. on January 21, 2025.
Andrew Harnik/Getty Images
A new poll from Politico and Focaldata, which surveyed 2,826 Canadians from April 18 to April 13, found that only 14 percent of respondents view Trump favorably, while 75 percent view him unfavorably.
Conservatives were more likely to view him favorably, but still only 24 percent said they do, while 61 percent view him unfavorably.
A Leger poll, conducted among 1,550 Canadians from February 14 to February 17, 2025, similarly found that 13 percent view Trump favorably, while 74 percent view him unfavorably. People who said they don’t know enough about him made up 7 percent, while 6 percent said they weren’t sure.
Earlier, a YouGov poll of 1,030 people from January 22 to January 28, 2025, found that 21 percent of Canadians viewed Trump favorably, while 72 percent viewed him unfavorably. Another 6 percent said they didn’t know how they viewed him.
What People Are Saying
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, during a campaign stop in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario on Friday, per CTV News: “In my opinion, what is important is to talk about the result, and the result was respect for Canada as a sovereign country, and second, an agreement to engage in comprehensive negotiations regarding our trading and security relationship, and negotiations that would begin right after the election.”
Conservative Party candidate Pierre Poilievre, during a February rally: “Let me be clear: We will never be the 51st state. We will bear any burden and pay any price to protect the sovereignty and independence of our country. We are slow to anger and quick to forgive. But never confuse our kindness for weakness. We are mild-mannered and made of steel.”
What Happens Next
Monday is Election Day in Canada. Whichever party prevails will have the ability to shape the country’s foreign policy over the coming years and will be tasked with navigating a strained relationship with Washington amid Trump’s talks of making Canada a state and tariff threats.