WASHINGTON — President-elect Donald Trump joked that it would be a "great idea" for Canada to become the 51st state of the US, as Canadian leader Justin Trudeau faces a domestic political crisis linked to fears over a potential tariff war with Trump.

"Many Canadians want Canada to become the 51st State," Trump posted on his Truth Social platform on Wednesday. "They would save massively on taxes and military protection. I think it is a great idea. 51st State!!!" he added.

A Leger poll suggests 13% of Canadians would want the country to become a state of the US.

Trump made the same joke at a dinner at his Mar-a-Lago resort in late November, to reported laughter in the audience.

The president-elect suggested, according to Fox News, that merging the nations would resolve his concerns over fentanyl trafficking and stem the flow of illegal migration — an issue that largely impacts the US southern border.

Since his comment, Trump has called Prime Minister Justic Trudeau the "governor" of Canada on his platform — a title normally used by the leaders of US states.

Trump's comments come as Trudeau is grappling with his leadership after the shock resignation of Canadian Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland, one of his most powerful and loyal ministers.

Freeland and Trudeau disagreed on a recently announced two-month sales tax holiday and 250 Canadian dollar (€168) checks to Canadians, which Freeland called a "costly political gimmick".

Freeland argued that Canada couldn't afford such policies in the context of Trump's threat to impose 25% tariffs on the country he made in November.

“Our country is facing a grave challenge,” Freeland said in her resignation letter. “That means keeping our fiscal powder dry today, so we have the reserves we may need for a coming tariff war”.

She said her decision came after Trudeau told her the week prior that he didn't want her to stay as the country's finance minister.

Her departure, which came right before she was to deliver the government's budget, blindsinded the government and has seemingly brought Trudeau and his already fragile Liberal Party to the brink.

Members of Trudeau's party have called on him to resign, alongside Canada's three opposition party leaders who said on Monday Trudeau should leave office.

Pierre Poilievre, leader of the opposition Conservative Party of Canada, has called for an early federal election.

"Everything is spiraling out of control. We simply cannot go on like this," he said.

In November, Trump said he would impose a sweeping 25% tax on all products entering the country from Canada and Mexico in an effort to combat illegal migration and the fetanyl crisis in the US.

Economists have warned such tariffs would hurt the Canadian economy significantly. Canada accounted for some $437 billion (€420) of US imports in 2022, and was equally the largest market for US exports in the same year, according to US government data.

Canada sends about 75% of its total exports to the US.

"The things we sell to the United States are the things they really need," Freeland said after Trump's announcement in November. "We sell them oil, we sell them electricity, we sell them critical minerals and metals." — Euronews