Donald Trump has said Canada will have to pay $61bn (€54bn) to benefit from the US’ “Golden Dome” missile defence system if it remains what he called “a separate, but unequal, nation”.
Writing on his Truth Social platform on Tuesday evening, the US president added that Ottawa would not have to pay anything if it became “our cherished 51st state”.
Trump unveiled the Golden Dome plan last week in the Oval Office. Although the details are still scant, he claimed the scheme, which he said would cost $175 billion (€154bn), would enable the US to intercept missiles launched from anywhere, including space.
Canada, which has distanced itself from the US since Trump took office, has expressed an interest in joining the programme.
Trump’s message on Truth Social about Canada and the Golden Dome system came just hours after the UK’s King Charles spoke in the Canadian parliament.
The monarch’s speech on Tuesday was widely seen as a show of support for Canada — which is part of the British Commonwealth — in the face of annexation threats from Trump.
“We must face reality: since the Second World War, our world has never been more dangerous and unstable. Canada is facing challenges that, in our lifetimes, are unprecedented,” Charles said.
He also stressed Canada’s independence, saying that the “True North is indeed strong and free”.
Charles’ appearance followed the election victory of Mark Carney, a former governor of the Bank of England, last month.
On the campaign trail, Carney successfully positioned himself as the best candidate to stand up to Trump, who had recently introduced tariffs against Canada.
Celebrating his election win in late April, the Canadian prime minister said Trump had tried to “break us, so that America can own us”.
“We are over the shock of the American betrayal. But we will never forget the lessons,” he said.
