Trump reiterates desire to make Canada 51st state – and says he will impose tariffs on steel and aluminium imports
Donald Trump has repeated calls to make Canada “the 51st state” as he reiterated his support for tech billionaire Elon Musk.
Speaking to Fox News, when asked if he was serious about Canada being a 51st state Mr Trump said: “I think Canada would be much better off.
“We lose $200bn a year with Canada. And I’m not going to let that happen. It’s too much.
“Why are we paying $200bn a year essentially in subsidy to Canada? Now, if they are a 51st state, I don’t mind doing it.”
He also continued to voice support for Mr Musk. The X owner is spearheading the US president’s efforts to cut costs and bureaucracy in government, which has already seen the US Aid Agency for International Development targeted.
Named the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), its aim is to find ways to sack federal workers, cut programmes and cut federal regulations.
Donald Trump has said he trusts the work Elon Musk is doing in improving government efficiency
However, there have been suggestions the Tesla chief’s access to government systems could pose a threat to national security.
But Mr Trump has said he trusts Mr Musk and is going to ask him to investigate billions of dollars of “fraud and abuse” within the US military.
“I’ve had great help with Elon Musk. He’s been terrific,” he said.
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When asked if he trusted him, Mr Trump added: “Trust Elon? He’s not gaining anything.
“In fact, I wonder how he can devote the time to it – he’s so into it.
“But I told him do that and then I’m going to tell him very soon – maybe in the next 24 hours – to go check the Department for Education. He’s going to find the same thing.
“Then I’m going to go to the military – let’s check the military. We’re going to find billions, hundreds of billions of dollars of fraud and abuse.
“You know, the people elected me on that.”
‘Gulf of America day’
Donald Trump signed a Proclamation declaring 9 February 2025 as the ‘Gulf of America Day’. Pic: Reuters
Mr Trump also made a series of statements aboard Air Force One as he flew to the Super Bowl.
He signed a proclamation declaring 9 February 2025 as the first ever “Gulf of America” day. One of the first executive orders the president signed was renaming the Gulf of Mexico.
While signing the latest proclamation, he posed in front of a map with the newly changed name.
Read more: Mexico asks Google not to follow Trump name change
He also said he would announce 25% tariffs on steel and aluminium imports into the US, signalling yet another major escalation in his trade policy overhaul. These reciprocal tariffs will take effect almost immediately, he said.
Vladimir Putin told Donald Trump he “will not back down” from Russia’s goals in Ukraine during a phone call today, the Kremlin has said.
The Russian president spoke to his US counterpart for almost an hour, and Mr Trump “again raised the issue of an early end to military action” in Ukraine, Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov told reporters.
In response, Mr Putin said “Russia will not back down” from its aims there, which include “the elimination of the well-known root causes that led to the current state of affairs,” Mr Ushakov said.
The phrase “root causes” is shorthand for Moscow’s argument that it was compelled to invade Ukraine in order to prevent the country from joining NATO.
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Trump and Putin’s latest call on Ukraine
Ukraine and its European allies say this is a pretext to justify what they call an imperial-style war, but Mr Trump has previously shown sympathy with Russia.
At the same time, Mr Putin told the US president that Russia is ready to continue negotiating, the aide said.
The Russian president said any prospective peace deal must see Ukraine give up its NATO bid and recognise his country’s territorial gains.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy, seen with Mr Trump in June, is pushing for Ukraine to join NATO. Pic: Reuters
He also briefed Mr Trump on agreements made last month, which saw Russia and Ukraine exchange prisoners of war and dead soldiers.
Specific dates for the third round of peace talks in Istanbul were not discussed – nor was the US decision to halt some shipments of critical weapons to Ukraine.
Mr Putin and Mr Trump’s call came after the Pentagon confirmed some weapons due to be sent to Ukraine have been held as it reviews military stockpiles.
The paused shipments include air defence missiles and precision-guided artillery, two people familiar with the situation have said.
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The decision led to Ukraine calling in the acting US envoy to Kyiv on Wednesday to underline the importance of military aid from Washington.
Kyiv also cautioned that the move would weaken Ukraine’s ability to defend itself against intensifying Russian airstrikes and battlefield advances.
Mr Putin and Mr Trump’s phone call was the sixth they have publicly disclosed since the US president returned to the White House in January.
Donald Trump’s ‘big beautiful bill’ has been passed by the US congress, sending it to the president to sign into law.
The controversial tax breaks and spending cuts package cleared its final hurdle as the Republican-controlled House of Representatives narrowly approved the bill with a 218-214 vote.
The bill delivers tax breaks Mr Trump promised in his 2024 election campaign, cuts health and food safety programmes, and zeroes out dozens of green energy incentives.
According to the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO), it will lower tax revenues by $4.5trn over 10 years and add $3.4trn to the US’s $36.2trn debt.
But despite concerns over the 869-page bill’s price tag – and its hit to healthcare programmes – Republicans largely lined up in support, with just two rebelling on the vote.
House Speaker Mike Johnson is congratulated following the vote. Pic: Reuters
Every Democrat in Congress voted against the bill, blasting it as a giveaway to the wealthy that will leave millions of Americans uninsured.
House Speaker Mike Johnson made the Republicans’ closing argument for the bill, telling Congress: “For everyday Americans, this means real, positive change that they can feel.”
Earlier, the House’s Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries gave a record-breaking eight-hour and 44-minute speech against it.
“The focus of this bill, the justification for all of the cuts that will hurt everyday Americans, is to provide massive tax breaks for billionaires,” he said.
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The bill’s spending cuts largely target Medicaid, the health programme that covers 71 million Americans on low incomes.
It will tighten enrolment standards, institute a work requirement and clamp down on a funding mechanism used by states to boost federal payments.
The changes could leave nearly 12 million people without health insurance, according to the CBO.
On the other side of the ledger, it will stave off tax increases that were due to hit most Americans at the end of the year, when tax cuts from President Trump’s first term were due to expire.
It also sets up new tax breaks for overtime pay, seniors and tipped income.
Read more:
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The bill narrowly passed the US Senate on Tuesday after vice president JD Vance cast the deciding vote to break a 50-50 tie.
Mr Trump will sign it into law on Friday at 5pm local time (10pm in the UK), the White House said.
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