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Ontario Premier Doug Ford was reacting to US President-elect Donald Trump’s bid to make Canada the 51st state of the US.
Ontario Premier Doug Ford said he knew Donald Trump likes to “joke around” with the statements he makes but said that he takes those seriously. (IMAGE: AP/REUTERS)
Ontario Premier Doug Ford countered US President-elect Donald Trump’s proposal to make Canada the 51st state of the US by offering to purchase two states of the US.
“To the president, I’ll make him a counteroffer. How about if we buy Alaska? And we’ll throw in Minnesota and Minneapolis at the same time? You know, it’s not realistic” Ford said at a press conference, according to the New York Post. The same leader last December had threatened to cut energy supplies over Trump’s threat to impose tariffs.
“We will go to the extent of cutting off their energy, going down to Michigan, going down to New York State and over to Wisconsin,” he said, after meeting Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who announced his resignation this week.
Speaking on Donald Trump’s recent interest in merging Canada with the US, Ford said he takes such statements “seriously”.
“I know he likes making these comments and he likes joking around — I take that seriously,” the premier said in relation to Trump’s recent public push to unify the US and Canada.
“He may be joking, but under my watch, that will never, ever happen,” Ford warned.