President Donald Trump said Tuesday that Canada could access the United States' $175 billion "Golden Dome" missile defense system for free-but only if it becomes the 51st state. "I told Canada, which very much wants to be part of our fabulous Golden Dome System, that it will cost $61 Billion Dollars if they remain a separate, but unequal, Nation, but will cost ZERO DOLLARS if they become our cherished 51st State," Trump wrote on Truth Social. "They are considering the offer!"
The remarks come as Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney moves toward deeper defense integration with Europe, rebuffing what he described earlier this month as Trump's aggressive rhetoric. Carney told the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, "Seventy-five cents of every dollar of capital spending for defense goes to the United States. That's not smart."
Canadian officials said last week there are "active discussions" underway with U.S. officials regarding new security initiatives, including the "Golden Dome." A spokesperson for Carney told BBC News: "Canadians gave the prime minister a strong mandate to negotiate a comprehensive new security and economic relationship with the United States." The spokesperson added, "These discussions naturally include strengthening [North American Aerospace Defense Command] and related initiatives such as the Golden Dome."
Carney, whose administration won a recent election amid rising tensions with Washington, has repeatedly rejected any proposal for Canadian statehood. According to the BBC, he told Trump directly, His country "won't be for sale, ever."
King Charles III, speaking Tuesday before the Canadian Parliament, delivered what many interpreted as a thinly veiled response to Trump's bid for annexation. "Canadians can give themselves far more than any foreign power on any continent can ever take away," the king said. "And that, by staying true to Canadian values, Canada can build new alliances and a new economy that serves all Canadians."
Trump's Golden Dome plan calls for the creation of a U.S.-led satellite network designed to detect and intercept ballistic missiles. The president has said the system will be "fully operational" within three years and open to allied participation. "Canada has called us, and they want to be a part of it," Trump said previously. "So we'll be talking to them; they want to have protection also."
While Canada has not publicly committed to the defense architecture, Carney confirmed last week that officials were "looking into" investment options related to the Golden Dome. The Canadian prime minister's office did not immediately respond to requests for comment regarding Trump's latest Truth Social post.
