How seriously do we need to take the Trump 51st state threats?

President-elect Donald Trump speaks at AmericaFest in Phoenix on Dec. 22, 2024. (AP Photo/Rick Scuteri, File)

By Analysis by The Big Story podcast

Posted January 8, 2025 4:22 am.

It started with a social media post that some dismissed as a joke. Now, President-elect Donald Trump is threatening to use “economic force” to make Canada a U.S. state.  

Is he serious? What’s going on here?

Host David Smith speaks with professor Ian Lee from the Sprott School of Business at Carleton University about what this all says for the Canada-U.S. relationship under a second Trump presidency.

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