Trump's annexation fantasies Could Canada really become the 51st US state?

US President Trump has repeatedly spoken out in favor of incorporating the neighboring country into the USA. An overview of the facts.

DPA

16.02.2025, 19:32

16.02.2025, 22:22

dpa

US President Donald Trump has said it repeatedly: Canada should become the 51st US state. He is proposing to abolish the almost 9000-kilometer border between the two countries. This would also make the tariffs he has threatened to impose on Canada, one of the USA's most important allies and trading partners, superfluous.

The traditional 48 contiguous US states would become 50, as the Canadian territory between the US mainland and Alaska would disappear. Hawaii would then be the only non-continental state.

Canada initially reacted to Trump's proposal as if it were a joke. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau declared that his country would never become the 51st US state.

But behind closed doors, Trudeau later hinted that the proposal was apparently real. But is this really the case? A closer look at the most important questions:

How does the process for admitting a new US state work?

The US Congress must approve the admission of a new state. All that is needed is a majority in the House of Representatives, but Senate rules require at least 60 votes in the 100-member chamber to bring a bill to a vote - a high hurdle for all kinds of important legislation.

After a yes vote from Congress on a new state, the bill would have to be signed into law by the president to become law. Republican Trump has already made it clear that he would do this in the case of Canada. However, no corresponding bill has yet been drafted.

Does Canada have a say?

The inhabitants of a territory do not necessarily have to vote on incorporation into the USA. There have been various ways in the past. However, most states were admitted after the US Congress accepted a petition from a legislative body of the territory.

In practice, Canada would therefore probably hold a referendum to gauge the electorate's interest in a merger with the USA. The chances of majority approval seem slim.

According to a survey conducted last year, Americans have a predominantly positive image of their northern neighbor. Conversely, the verdict is somewhat more muted. Many in Canada feel cheated by Trump's tariff threat. Sports fans express their displeasure by booing the US national anthem at North American basketball and field hockey league games.

Of course, public opinion would not matter if the US decided to invade Canada and annex the country by force. Not even Trump has voiced such a proposal, although he won't rule out a US military operation to retake the Panama Canal.

How would the incorporation of Canada affect elections in the USA?

The answer is: profoundly - and that's without speculating on whether the majority of Canadians would favor the Democrats or the Republicans. If Canada were to join the USA, it would be the largest US state with a population of 41.6 million people, ahead of California with 39.4 million. Canada would get two senators and 55 seats in the House of Commons. With 57 electors, it would therefore have a major influence on the presidential election and would overtake California with its 54.

However, the number of seats in the House of Representatives is limited by law to a maximum of 435. The delegations of other states would therefore have to shrink to make room for the new Canadian representatives. The same applies to the men and women elected to the Electoral College.

Hard-fought swing states such as Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin could become less important in the future if millions of Canadians want to be wooed in presidential elections.

What about other possible new states?

Until Trump began his second term in office, the debate about a possible 51st US state traditionally centered on Puerto Rico and the capital territory of Washington, D.C. The Free State of Puerto Rico is an external territory of the USA. Its voters have spoken out in non-binding referendums in favor of Puerto Rico becoming a fully-fledged US state. Corresponding proposals have been submitted to the US Congress several times, but have never been passed.

The residents of Washington, D.C., also voted in favor of turning their district into a US state. Such a bill passed the Democratic-controlled House of Representatives in 2021, but not the Senate. Meanwhile, Republicans control both chambers and likely have no interest in admitting a potential Democratic state like Puerto Rico or D.C.

When was the last time the U.S. added a state?

Hawaii became the 50th U.S. state in 1959, nearly 18 years after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. The island chain, some 3,900 kilometers from the US mainland, had been annexed by Congress as a US territory after the start of the Spanish Civil War in 1898. Shortly before Hawaii, Alaska, which is currently separated from the US mainland by around 800 kilometers of Canadian territory, was recognized as the 49th US state in January 1959.