Trump Renews Bid to Make Canada, Greenland U.S. States

Donald Trump proposed again on Wednesday that Canada and Greenland become U.S. states, telling rallies in Arizona that other places’ political futures belonged on his campaign stage. “They’ll end up being the 51st state, because it’s the only way it works,” he said of Canada. Later, he added: “Just like Greenland.”

A border drawn from the top

Trump tied his statehood talk to promoting his Canada trade policy and tariffs. He called Canadian trade policies toward the United States “brutal,” adding, “They are brutal, and we don't take that crap anymore.” The insult and proposal came from the same podium, where a powerful political figure described another country’s status and trade relationship on his own terms.

Trump also said he’d never actually intended to invade Greenland, despite publicly reserving that option. The account offers no response from people in Canada or Greenland. Trump made the proposals; the people whose countries he discussed weren’t given a voice in the remarks described here.

At rallies in Arizona and Montana on Wednesday, Trump defended tariffs and high oil prices as sources of wealth. “Tariffs don't cause inflation,” he said. In Bullhead City, Arizona, he claimed, “Our country is making more money than it's ever made because of the fact that oil is so high.” He said, “I care more about the little person than I care about the big person,” adding that in oil-producing states, “we're making a fortune.”

The polling says no

The public numbers cited in the article run sharply against Trump’s proposals. A February poll found 72% disapproved of his handling of Greenland. Polls last year found 75% or 80% opposed making Canada the 51st state, depending on the poll. When Trump launched recent tariffs on Canada, Americans opposed them 57%-20%.

Recent polling from Fox News, AP-NORC and CNN showed about 7 in 10 Americans or registered voters disapproved of Trump on tariffs. Each poll showed his worst numbers on the issue to date. The campaign had less than three weeks remaining, and the article contrasted tariffs—an elective policy to pursue and promote—with subjects such as the Iran war.

The election clock is running. Republicans seeking office in the 2026 midterm elections were trying to distance themselves from Trump, whom the article described as historically unpopular heading into the midterms. Yet the campaign’s public-opinion problem isn’t limited to tariffs or statehood proposals.

Unpopular plans, stubborn claims

A Washington Post-ABC News poll released Thursday found registered voters opposed livestreaming the execution of Fort Hood shooter Nidal Hasan, 80%-19%. A Reuters-Ipsos poll the previous week found voters considered taxpayer-funded political ads inappropriate, 89%-9%. A Washington Post poll found registered voters opposed pardoning violent January 6 defendants, 83%-16%.

The administration appeared to have backed away from spending millions of dollars in taxpayer funds on ads promoting Trump and from livestreaming Hasan’s execution. Trump indicated he’d use campaign money for the ads and said Thursday the livestream wouldn’t happen. Many Republicans had cautioned against the livestream, calling it a gruesome idea that could give Islamic extremists a propaganda victory by making Hasan a public martyr. The article said doubts apparently weren’t raised with Trump or Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, or were dismissed.

For more than a year, Trump has continued to argue there was no inflation and that the economy was in a “golden age.” But a Pew Research Center poll last month found 42% of Americans rated the economy “poor,” while 8 in 10 rated it “fair” or “poor”—both new highs for Trump’s second term. Two consecutive days of unfavorable inflation indicators emerged that week, including data released Thursday showing U.S. wholesale inflation in September had reached its highest level in more than four years. The campaign promises one story; the numbers voters are living with tell another.