Shark Tank star Kevin O’Leary praised President-elect Donald Trump’s continued fascination with annexing Canada as an American state, saying there was “something great” about it because it would form “the most powerful country on earth.”
Having spent the past few weeks taunting Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau by offering to make him a “governor” of “the 51st state,” the incoming president upped the ante with a Christmas message to the United States’ neighbor to the north. Besides recommending that hockey great Wayne Gretzky run to be “the Governor of Canada,” Trump also claimed that Canadians’ taxes would massively drop if they joined the American union.
“But if Canada was to become our 51st state, their taxes would be cut by more than 60 percent,” Trump posted on his Truth Social platform. “Their businesses would immediately double in size and they would be militarily protected like no other country anywhere in the world.”
Trump’s promise to lower taxes if Canada becomes an American state was met with approval from MAGA-loving Canucks, who said the offer sounded “good” to them. At the same time, though, a recent poll of Canadian citizens found that 82 percent opposed the idea of becoming the 51st state.
During a Friday morning appearance on Fox News, O’Leary — a Canadian businessman who calls himself “Mr. Wonderful” — was asked to weigh in on Trump’s tax-cut offer and whether residents of Canada were receptive.
Claiming that at least half of the country’s citizens “want to know more and understand what the proposal really is,” O’Leary added that there’s been talk of an economic union between the two countries for decades.
Adding that the Pentagon has been worried about Canada’s northern border and its proximity to Russia for a while, the Shark Tank co-host said that China’s recent ascendence as a superpower has created a “serious problem.” Therefore, according to O’Leary, Trump seeking to annex Canada would benefit both countries.
“I think in this kernel of an idea — yes, maybe it was a joke to start — there is something great here to be done,” he declared. “Because if you figured out a way to put these two countries together, it would be the most powerful country on earth. The most powerful military on earth, the most powerful resources and no adversary anywhere would mess with it. That’s the prize.”
Fox News host Aishah Hasnie then noted the poll which found that only 13 percent of Canadians were receptive to the idea of becoming an American state, prompting O’Leary to roundly dismiss the survey results.
“Kevin, what you are saying is maybe it doesn’t have to be about taking the land. Maybe you can broker some kind of economic union. That’s what you want to help do, right?” Hasnie added
“Yeah, that poll is irrelevant,” O’Leary exclaimed. “The opportunity is here. It’s combining strengths. You don’t have to sell or merge the country but create a union where you put together the things that matter: a common currency, a common passport, free-flowing trade across the border, particularly in energy.”
After saying Trudeau would likely lose re-election in the next few months, O’Leary expressed hope that a new prime minister would broker a deal with Trump.
“It may have to wait, but many Canadians are interested in how we could push this idea forward, and I’m one of them,” he excitedly proclaimed. “I think it is a great idea and the potential is massive and opportunity huge.”
O’Leary concluded: “I think at the end of the day, Canadians and Americans, their DNA is the same in terms of what they believe in. Freedom. They fought in multiple wars together. I say let’s make it happen and end up the strongest entity on earth.”
