US President Donald Trump has sparked fresh debate with his latest statement on Canada and the status of King Charles, ahead of the British monarch’s highly anticipated trip to the United States.
Trump surprised people with his question, asking if Canada had “stopped” recognizing King Charles as head of state, while confirming he would not pursue an invasion of the country.
The 79-year-old appears to be stepping back from his repeated threats to absorb Canada as America’s “51st state.”
Speaking to royal biographer Robert Hardman about his upcoming book on Elizabeth II, the US president acknowledged that Canada’s two centuries of nationality made annexation unrealistic for the remainder of his term.
“I guess Canadians have 200 years of history and the whole ‘Oh, Canada’ thing,” President Trump said.
He continued: “You can’t handle that in three and a half years. I guess it won’t happen!”
These latest claims represent a notable step back from his previous provocations toward Ottawa, when he repeatedly taunted Justin Trudeau, Canada’s former prime minister, by claiming that Canadians would benefit from tax cuts and greater military protection under American rule.
After his threats, the president even shared an AI-generated image in January depicting Canada superimposed on the American flag during a scene from the Oval Office.
When Hardman urged the president to “please leave Canada alone,” noting that doing so would “undoubtedly make the King of Canada unhappy.”
According to Hardman, whose interview with the American president was published in the EmailTrump asked: “Do they still recognize the king? Or have they stopped that?”
When the royal author confirmed that Canadians recognize the king as their head of state, the US president joked: “But they have these terrible politicians. They are nice to me and then they say bad things behind my back.”
The president described King Charles as a “fantastic guy”, expressing particular admiration for the way the monarch handled his cancer diagnosis.
“He’s a great guy and he’s grown so much over the last 10 years, and especially over the last two years as king. His fight showed that,” President Trump remarked.
The king, 77, and his wife Queen Camilla, 78, announced they would visit the United States later this month, their itinerary including a speech to a joint session of Congress and a state banquet at the White House.
