Hours before Canada\u2019s trade minister arrived in Washington on Tuesday for trade talks, President Trump posted an article about Canada being in a technical recession accompanied with a familiar comment: \u201c51st state!\u201d<\/p>\n
It was the first time in months that Mr. Trump used the phrase that\u2019s fueled a wave of Canadian patriotism and recast the country\u2019s political fortunes.<\/p>\n
The two neighbors \u2014 allies with closely integrated economies \u2014 have been navigating a period of profound mistrust since his second term, as Mr. Trump has repeatedly used menacing language about Canada, and threatened to make it part of the United States.<\/p>\n
But things had been calmer in recent weeks. Then, the post on Monday evening reignited anger about Mr. Trump\u2019s demeaning and menacing attitude toward Canada, just days before the two countries, alongside Mexico, begin co-hosting the World Cup.<\/p>\n
The post, which was reposted by the U.S. ambassador to Canada, highlights the tense atmosphere as the United States, Canada and Mexico are wading into a review of their free-trade agreement.<\/p>\n
Mr. Trump included a link to a Bloomberg article about Canada\u2019s economy experiencing two consecutive quarters of negative growth, with the comment, \u201c51st State!\u201d<\/p>\n
Mr. Trump\u2019s disrespect propelled the rise of Canada\u2019s prime minister, Mark Carney, who won an election last spring promising to strengthen the economy and make it more independent of the United States. The two men have enjoyed a seemingly positive chemistry during their in-person meetings, but their relationship appears to have worsened since Mr. Carney made a high-profile speech in January, describing the end of an era of U.S. hegemony and calling on \u201cmiddle powers\u201d like Canada to stick together to survive.<\/p>\n
Last week, Mr. Carney struck a conciliatory tone in a speech in New York,<\/a> suggesting that a stronger, independent Canada would be a better partner for the United States.<\/p>\n The United States and Mexico have already begun formally negotiating changes to their trade agreement, and the United States Trade Representatives\u2019 office has released a schedule for the next rounds of talks, which will extend well into July.<\/p>\n But there has been silence on the Canada-United States negotiations.<\/p>\n The two nations have not begun formal discussions, nor is there a plan for how those will play out in the coming weeks and months.<\/p>\n Updated\u00a0<\/p>\n June 2, 2026, 6:55 p.m. ET<\/p>\n