U.S. President Donald Trump says Canadian hockey icon Wayne Gretzky wants Canada to remain a sovereign country as several Canadian media reports say Gretzky is facing backlash back home.
The reports intensified after Gretzky was introduced as an honorary Canadian team captain during the Feb. 20 game between Canada and the United States. The game was mired in politics amid Trump’s comments about Canada being a part of the United States and comebacks from Canadian officials. The hockey legend has been attending Trump’s events and was also in attendance during Trump’s Jan. 20 presidential inauguration ceremony.
The American president took to social media Feb. 26 to emphasize that the friendship between the two does not mean Gretzky supports the idea of Canada becoming the 51st state.
“Wayne is my friend, and he wants to make me happy, and is therefore somewhat ‘low key’ about Canada remaining a separate Country, rather than becoming a cherished and beautiful 51st State, paying much Lower Taxes, a Free and Powerful Military, NO TARIFFS, and having a Booming Economy,” Trump wrote in a Truth Social post.
“Wayne and Janet, his wonderful wife, love Canada, and they should only support Canada and whatever else makes the Canadian People and Governor Justin Trudeau happy.”
Trump described Gretzky as the “greatest Canadian of them all,” adding that he would make him “a free agent, because I don’t want anyone in Canada to say anything bad about him.” In the past, amid his comments of wanting Canada to be a part of the United States, Trump has said he wants Gretzky to “run for Prime Minister of Canada, soon to be known as the Governor of Canada.”
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Trump’s ongoing comments about Canada joining the United States have not been well-received by the majority of Canadians. A poll from earlier this month shows a surge in patriotism among Canadians since December, which pollsters attributed to Trump’s 51st state rhetoric.
The Angus Reid poll suggested that 67 percent of respondents were either “very proud,” or “proud” of Canada and 18 percent were “somewhat proud.” The numbers represented a 10-point jump over the figures reported two months prior. Only 13 percent said they weren’t proud of their country.
Politicians have also been critical of Trump’s comments. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau remarked earlier this month that the idea of Canada becoming the 51st state is a “non-starter,” asserting that it is “never going to happen.”
Conservative Party Leader Pierre Poilievre has said Canadians would “bear any burden and pay any price” to maintain their sovereignty. “Let me be clear: we will never be the 51st state,” Poilievre said during a Feb. 15 rally in Ottawa.
Along with his comments about merging Canada and the United States, Trump has threatened Canada with multiple tariffs.
The president signed a Feb. 1 executive order to impose 25 percent blanket tariffs on Canada as a way to penalize the country for illegal migrants and fentanyl crossing the Canada-U.S. border. A 30-day reprieve was secured on Feb. 3 following Trudeau’s commitment to crack down on border security. Trump has indicated he will reinstate the tariffs if he is not happy with Canada’s measures to tackle cross-border fentanyl trafficking.
A Feb. 27 post by Trump on Truth Social indicates he is less than satisfied with Canada’s progress on fentanyl and plans to go ahead on implementing the tariffs.
“We cannot allow this scourge to continue to harm the USA, and therefore, until it stops, or is seriously limited, the proposed TARIFFS scheduled to go into effect on MARCH FOURTH will, indeed, go into effect, as scheduled,” he wrote.
Trump has also said he plans to implement a 25 percent tariff on all steel and aluminum imports to the United States, effective March 12 and may introduce a broad range of additional tariffs in April that would target several nations, including Canada, based on what the United States may find to be unfair trade practices.
