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Canada's PM Refuses to Chase Trump's '51st State' Social Media Bait
(MENAFN) Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney pushed back Tuesday against pressure to react to US President Donald Trump's renewed "51st state" rhetoric, signaling Ottawa will not be drawn into a social media war with Washington while diplomatic and trade engagement continues behind the scenes.
The remarks came after Trump reshared content referencing Canada's economy, to which US Ambassador to Canada Pete Hoekstra added the phrase "51st state" in a repost — reigniting tensions over the American president's repeated suggestion that Canada should be absorbed as a US state.
Speaking at a news conference in Longueuil, Quebec, Carney made clear his government would not take the bait.
"The president is an exceptionally active user of social media, the media," Carney told reporters.
"It's only gone up in recent months, and we're not going to respond or react to everything that he posts," he added.
Carney also shut down suggestions that Canada should expel Ambassador Hoekstra over the repost, offering a blunt but measured response.
"The short answer is no to the second part of your question, and it's an administration that we have to work with," he told a reporter.
Rather than escalating, the Prime Minister pointed to the depth of the bilateral relationship as reason for continued engagement.
"It's our biggest trading relationship, it's our biggest security relationship, many other relationships, and we work with that administration," Carney said.
"We take the administration as it is and are working together in a number of areas," he noted.
The Prime Minister underscored that diplomacy is actively ongoing, with senior Canadian officials already on the ground in Washington.
"I'll just underscore that Minister (of Internal Trade Dominic) LeBlanc and Madame (Janice) Charette, our negotiator in chief, they are in Washington today working with the US administration, discussing our trading relationship," Carney said.
The remarks came after Trump reshared content referencing Canada's economy, to which US Ambassador to Canada Pete Hoekstra added the phrase "51st state" in a repost — reigniting tensions over the American president's repeated suggestion that Canada should be absorbed as a US state.
Speaking at a news conference in Longueuil, Quebec, Carney made clear his government would not take the bait.
"The president is an exceptionally active user of social media, the media," Carney told reporters.
"It's only gone up in recent months, and we're not going to respond or react to everything that he posts," he added.
Carney also shut down suggestions that Canada should expel Ambassador Hoekstra over the repost, offering a blunt but measured response.
"The short answer is no to the second part of your question, and it's an administration that we have to work with," he told a reporter.
Rather than escalating, the Prime Minister pointed to the depth of the bilateral relationship as reason for continued engagement.
"It's our biggest trading relationship, it's our biggest security relationship, many other relationships, and we work with that administration," Carney said.
"We take the administration as it is and are working together in a number of areas," he noted.
The Prime Minister underscored that diplomacy is actively ongoing, with senior Canadian officials already on the ground in Washington.
"I'll just underscore that Minister (of Internal Trade Dominic) LeBlanc and Madame (Janice) Charette, our negotiator in chief, they are in Washington today working with the US administration, discussing our trading relationship," Carney said.
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