Years ago, during my one and only trip to Pakistan to report on the 50th anniversary of independence for a Western media outlet, I had the pleasure of meeting some bright, articulate students at the famed Government College in Lahore. Feeling magnanimous (and admittedly swept by their genuine warmth), I decided to drop a bombshell of an idea: why not reunite India and Pakistan? Should we not right the wrongs of Partition, restore the subcontinent to its undivided glory, and perhaps save on visa fees?
Their reaction shook me up no end. Polite smiles laced with a palpable ‘what-is-this-guy-talking-about?’. Most of them agreed that Partition was a disaster—but, they were quick to add, not their disaster. The blame, they insisted, lay squarely with the Urdu-speaking folks, many of whom had fled to Karachi and now live as ‘muhajir‘ (immigrants). One student practically bristled at my proposal and said my suggestion reeked of a “typical Indian response” from the post-Partition generation, which was a rather diplomatic way of calling me naïve. I get it.
From their post-Partition Pakistani perspective, the students argued, reunification was a no-go. Sure, their country wasn’t perfect—admittedly not on a par with India—but it was their own. Sovereign, independent, and, crucially, theirs to nurture or mess up, without unsolicited advice from nostalgic neighbours across the border. The message was clear: the idea of negating Partition, no matter how silly they thought it was, wasn’t up for debate. Period.
It was a perspective that had never crossed my Indian-bred mind. It reminded me of the shock Canadians are feeling at President Donald Trump’s latest shenanigan—his not-so-casual declaration that he would like to annex Canada and turn it into America’s 51st state. Last week, Trump, always a fan of the spotlight, used an international platform to float the idea. Addressing the Davos economic forum via video link, he coolly tossed out the notion to an audience of CEOs and business honchos. Predictably, gasps echoed through the room. And somewhere in Ottawa, I imagine, jaws hit the floor.
What’s surprising isn’t just the audacity of Trump’s suggestion but the sheer persistence of it. His rhetorical swipes at Canada’s independence have become so frequent that one wonders if he is genuinely serious or just bored with his neighbours.
The US-Canada overlap is everywhere—from culture to sports to shared traditions. Neighbours for sure, but they are more like squabbling siblings. In 2023, the US-Canada trade hit over a trillion dollars, with $2.8 billion crossing their border every single day. They are each other’s biggest trade partners, with Canada sending 78% of its goods and services to the US every year, and over 4,00,000 people moving across their shared 5,525-mile border daily.
‘No, Thanks’
The reactions to Trump’s comments range from polite Canadian indignation to outright laughter. Meanwhile, Americans seem split between “Wait, can we actually do that?” and “Why would we even want to?”. Let’s unpack these views:
Recently, BuzzFeed ran an article that asked Canadians about their thoughts on Trump’s eyebrow-raising proposal to annex Canada as America’s 51st state. Unsurprisingly, the responses were a mixed bag, though they leaned heavily towards a polite but firm “No, thanks”. Here’s what some of them had to say:
- “I do not want to be American. No one I know wants to be American. I am not giving up my free healthcare and strict gun laws. And I am definitely not giving up my right to choose as a woman.”
- “I would rather take my son on a vacation to Europe for fear of our safety in the US. Your lax gun laws make me afraid that we could be shot while vacationing in any part of your country.”
- “We are not America. We never will be. In fact, I think America would benefit from a more Canadian viewpoint.”
- “Americans would be better off joining Canada than Canadians would be joining the USA.”
And then, of course, there were those I would call ‘dissenters’. Their voices often stemmed from frustration with their own Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau, rather than an overwhelming love for Trump’s America. A few highlights:
- “Ask me 15 years ago, and I would have been ready to take up arms against any US threat; now, I’m not sure. The Liberal government, led by Trudeau, has divided and nearly destroyed our culture with ‘woke ideology’.”
- “I would be the first one to vote to become part of the United States.”
- “I would be over the moon to become an American. The US is the greatest country in the world. Canada has been riding their coattails for years. To be annexed into the US would be a dream come true.”
Their enthusiasm must be appreciated. Sure, they might get Florida, but they are also signing up for the ‘Florida Man’. And they are happy with it. However, in the end, while some Canadians may be open to the idea of annexation, the overwhelming sentiment seems to be, “Thanks, but we’re good.”
The American public, it seems, isn’t exactly rolling out the red carpet for Trump’s latest brainwave. Surveys by The Wall Street Journal, Reuters-Ipsos and The Economist-YouGov—all conducted in recent days—indicate that the idea of annexing Canada is about as popular as a snowstorm in July. So, we must keep in mind that Trump’s land of the free isn’t exactly clamouring for a new northern star on its flag after all.
A Rare Precedent
Annexing a nation without a war is a rare feat, but history offers a few eyebrow-raising precedents that might bolster Trump’s audacious ambitions. Consider Texas in 1845: the Republic of Texas willingly joined the United States after breaking free from Mexico. Then there was Hawaii in 1898, annexed through a joint resolution of Congress following the not-so-gentle overthrow of its monarchy. Both cases, of course, were dripping with controversy and tangled in political gymnastics.
If President Trump were to actually chase his dream of annexing Canada as the 51st state, he would be plunging into a legal and political minefield. For starters, Canada’s Constitution is as silent as a winter morning on how a province—or the entire nation, for that matter—could secede and join another country. On the flip side, the US Constitution does allow for new states to join with Congressional approval, but annexing a fully sovereign country is uncharted territory, legally speaking.
Then there’s the political and populist angle. Agreed that Trump’s statement might strike a chord with certain populist audiences. But the logistics of such an annexation are a Herculean challenge. The deeply entrenched national identities and legal frameworks on both sides of the border make this idea more rhetorical than realistic.
Into Trump’s Mind
Trump himself drops plenty of hints about how he views his annexation dream. “Are you also considering military force to annex and acquire Canada?” a reporter asked him recently. “No. Economic force,” he said promptly. “Canada and the United States, that would really be something. You get rid of that artificially drawn line, and you take a look at what that looks like, and it would also be much better for national security. Don’t forget, we basically protect Canada.”
Justin Trudeau, who is stepping down as Canada’s prime minister, didn’t hold back on X, retorting: “There isn’t a snowball’s chance in hell that Canada would become part of the United States.” Elon Musk on the other hand, ever eager to stir the pot, responded sarcastically: “Girl, you’re not the governor of Canada anymore, so doesn’t matter what you say.”
The banter may be entertaining, but the stakes of such a suggestion are no laughing matter. This is the kind of rhetoric that can tiptoe dangerously close to turning political theatre into a real diplomatic crisis.
(Syed Zubair Ahmed is a London-based senior Indian journalist with three decades of experience with the Western media)
Disclaimer: These are the personal opinions of the author