Ottawa:

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Tuesday hit back at US President-elect Donald Trump’s threat to use “economic force” to absorb Canada into the United States, saying there is no possibility of merging countries.

“There isn’t a snowball’s chance in hell that Canada would become part of the United States,” Mr Trudeau wrote on X (formally Twitter).

“Workers and communities in both our countries benefit from being each other’s biggest trading and security partner,” he added.

There isn’t a snowball’s chance in hell that Canada would become part of the United States.

Workers and communities in both our countries benefit from being each other’s biggest trading and security partner.

— Justin Trudeau (@JustinTrudeau) January 7, 2025

Canadian foreign minister also added to Prime Minister Trudeau’s remark, saying the country will “never back down” from threats by Donald Trump.

Foreign Minister Melanie Joly accused Trump of showing with his remarks “a complete lack of understanding” of Canada.

“Our economy is strong. Our people our strong. We will never back down in the face of threats,” she said on the social media platform owned by Trump ally Elon Musk.

Canada’s response came after incoming US president Trump said he was willing to use “economic force” to merge Canada and the United States, hours after the Canadian premier announced his resignation as the leader of the Liberal Party and prime minister.

Speaking at a press conference at Florida Mar-a Lago home, he said, “You get rid of that artificially drawn line, and you take a look at what that looks like, and it would also be much better for national security.”

“Canada and the United States, that would really be something,” Mr Trump added.

He also raised concerns about Canada’s military spending and said, “They have a very small military. They rely on our military. It’s all fine, but, you know, they got to pay for that. It’s very unfair.”

Asked if he would use military force to bring Canada to heel, the incoming president said “no, economic force.”

Since his election victory in November, Mr Trump has repeatedly needled Canada about it becoming the “51st US state”.

Previously, he has threatened to slap up to 25 per cent tariff on Canadian goods unless the northern American country took substantial steps to increase security on the shared border and reduce drugs and illegal immigrants crossing into the US.

In response, the Trudeau government has promised to implement strict security measures along the US-Canada border but said it would consider imposing counter-tariffs if Mr Trump follows with his threats.

Canada and the US reportedly share a trillion-dollar trade relationship. According to the Canadian government’s data, nearly C$3.6bn ($2.5bn) worth of goods and services crossed the border daily in 2023.

Experts believe if Donald Trump follows through with his threat after taking office on January 20, it could hurt Canada’s economy significantly.

A video of President-elect Donald Trump jokingly offering “millions” to buy a young black girl’s hair during a golf outing, has gone viral on social media. While driving a cart while playing golf in West Palm Beach, Florida, Trump complimented a girl on her hair, saying, “Oh, I love that girl. I love that hair. I want her hair. Can I buy your hair? I’ll pay you millions for that.”  She told the 78-year-old that she voted for him, and Trump playfully responded that he voted for her too.

He then invited the child, who he described as beautiful, to join him on his golf cart for a photo opportunity. The crowd was delighted by the moment, with one onlooker expressing amazement and noting that the girl would have a unique story to share – playing golf with the president.

Here’s the video:

Trump to a little Black girl at his golf club:

“Oh, I love that girl. I love that hair. I want her hair. Can I buy your hair? I’ll pay you millions for that.” pic.twitter.com/szYC6QnpFn

— PatriotTakes (@patriottakes) November 25, 2024

The video has sparked mixed reactions. While some people appreciated his lighthearted and playful demeanour, others found the exchange to be unusual and weird. Some also called it racist. One user wrote, “This is so creepy and weird. A grown man yells out that he wants to buy a young girl’s hair. That’s weird, joking or not.” Another said, “I can’t take another 4 years of this.”

Some also thought there was nothing wrong with the exchange. A third commented, “Imagine calling him racist when Trump is complimenting this beautiful young black girl’s hair. This is why people love Trump. He’s human just like the rest of us and has a heart.”

A fourth added, “Come on! People say that to kids to be nice! People overreacting! If it was someone else you would say that is cute and the girl has nice hair.”