Ontario Premier Doug Ford said Canada is "not for sale" amid a flurry of comments from President-elect Donald Trump about the country potentially becoming a part of the United States.
"I love the U.S. I love Americans, and I get it. You know, President-elect Trump is a real estate tycoon. He's made billions. But that property's not for sale, as simple as that," Ford said Tuesday on "Jesse Watters Primetime."
Trump has joked about Canada becoming the "51st state," and at a Mar-a-Lago news conference Tuesday afternoon, he reiterated his apparent vision of seeing the country under U.S. control.
"Canada and the United States, that would really be something," Trump said. "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."
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Ford maintained that Canada and the U.S. could come together via a "great trade deal" and work hand-in-hand to tackle the China "problem."
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"China is the problem. China is shipping in cheap parts into Mexico, and then Mexico's slapping a 'made in Mexico' sticker on, shipping it up through the U.S. and Canada, costing American and Canadian jobs," he said.
"We're proud Canadians, just like there's proud Americans. And if we join together and take on the world with a great trade deal between us, I think that'd be fabulous. No one could stop us."
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who announced his resignation earlier this week, also shot back at the incoming 47th president for his remarks, saying there’s "not a snowball’s chance in hell" that his country will become a part of the U.S.
Canada is one of the U.S.’ largest trading partners, followed by Mexico and China.
