President-elect Donald Trump on Wednesday criticized Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau by promising to cut taxes for the Canucks if they agree to become “our 51st state,” while urging them to hire NHL great Wayne Gretzky to lead the country.
“I just left Wayne Gretzky, 'The Great' as he is known in ice hockey circles,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.
“I said to him: 'Wayne, why don't you run for Prime Minister of Canada, who will soon be known as Governor of Canada – you'll win easily, and you won't even have to campaign,'” the president-elect said. .
Trump – who believes Canada is deceiving the United States on trade – has been mocking Trudeau for weeks by referring to Canada as a potential US “state” and the prime minister as its “governor.”
Gretzky, who has never held political office, appears to have “no interest” in launching a campaign to replace the unpopular Trudeau as prime minister, according to Trump.
Undeterred, the 78-year-old president-elect on Wednesday urged Canadians to persuade the hockey celebrities and their native Brantford, Ont., to campaign.
“He had no interest, but I believe the people of Canada should start the Wayne Gretzky Movement,” Trump wrote.
“It will be fun to watch!” He added.
Trump wished Trudeau a “Merry Christmas” in another post while mockingly referring to the prime minister as “the governor” again.
The president-elect said Canada should become a US state because taxes on its citizens are “too high, but if Canada became our 51st state, its taxes would be reduced by more than 60%.”
Trump asserted that Canadian businesses would also “immediately double in size, and be militarily protected like no other country in the world” if the Great White North joins the United States.
Trudeau (53 years old) has been Prime Minister of Canada since 2015.
The Liberal Party leader faces increasing calls to resign, even from members of his own party, before next year's federal election.
Canadians appear to be fed up with the rising prices and housing crisis that has emerged under Trudeau's rule for more than nine years.
The latest opinion polls show that the Conservative Party of Canada has a significant lead over the Liberals in the election, which is expected to be held before October 2025.
Trudeau traveled to Mar-a-Lago last month and had dinner with Trump amid the 45th president's threat to impose a 25% tariff on Canadian imports — which Trudeau reportedly told the president-elect was “killing” the Canadian economy.
“So your country can't survive unless it extracts up to $100 billion from the United States?” Trump reportedly responded by pointing to the US trade deficit with Canada.
The president-elect then proposed that Canada join the United States, becoming the 51st state, and gave Trudeau the title of “Governor.”
Gretzky (63 years old) had previously supported the Conservative Party and former Canadian Conservative Prime Minister Stephen Harper.
He is a four-time Stanley Cup winner and holds or shares 61 NHL records.
