President-elect Donald Trump said Monday that Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is resigning because he knows the United States will not put up with trade deficits with Canada.

He also said many Canadians would love to be the 51st state.

B次元官网网址淭he United States can no longer suffer the massive trade deficits and subsidies that Canada needs to stay afloat,B次元官网网址� Trump posted on Truth Social after TrudeauB次元官网网址檚 announcement that he will resign as Liberal leader and prime minister as soon as a new leader is chosen.

B次元官网网址淛ustin Trudeau knew this, and resigned.B次元官网网址�

Trudeau has not yet stepped down but said Monday he will resign after the Liberal party holds a leadership race. The date hasnB次元官网网址檛 been set but Trudeau also prorogued Parliament until March 24.

Trump reiterated his rhetoric about Canada joining the U.S., claiming thereB次元官网网址檇 be no tariffs, lower taxes and more security. He posted, B次元官网网址淭ogether, what a great Nation it would be!!!B次元官网网址�

The White House, meanwhile, described Trudeau as a B次元官网网址渟talwart friendB次元官网网址� to the United States.

Spokesperson Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters on Air Force 1 Monday that President Joe Biden was grateful for TrudeauB次元官网网址檚 partnership and B次元官网网址渃ommitment to defending North America from the geopolitical threats of the 21st century.B次元官网网址�

TrumpB次元官网网址檚 response is in keeping with his efforts to troll Trudeau and Canada since winning the election in November.

The president-elect has called Trudeau B次元官网网址済overnorB次元官网网址� and repeated the 51st-state dig since the prime minister travelled to have dinner at TrumpB次元官网网址檚 Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida in November.

B次元官网网址淭rump will take credit for anything and will spin anything into an opportunity to make himself look better,B次元官网网址� said Laura Dawson, an expert on Canada-U. S. relations and the executive director of the Future Borders Coalition.

But experts says the change in Canadian leadership could not come at a worse moment for the bilateral relationship with the U.S.

TrudeauB次元官网网址檚 decision, while not unexpected after weeks of growing pressure from his own caucus, brings instability to Ottawa just as Canada is trying to tamp down TrumpB次元官网网址檚 threat of devastating tariffs.

B次元官网网址淭o be blunt, I donB次元官网网址檛 think a leadership change could come at a worse moment in our bilateral relationship,B次元官网网址� said Fen Osler Hampson, a professor of international affairs at Carleton University in Ottawa and co-chair of the Expert Group on Canada-U.S. Relations.

B次元官网网址淲e are staring down the barrel of a gun with Donald TrumpB次元官网网址檚 threats to impose 25 per cent tariffs on Canada and Mexico. The key question obviously is: Who speaks for Canada?B次元官网网址�

The date hasnB次元官网网址檛 been set for a leadership race but Trudeau also prorogued Parliament until March 24, and many expect a new Liberal leader to be in place before then.

Trudeau said he would step aside because the internal conflict within his party over his leadership had become a distraction and Canadians deserve a clear choice in the next election.

TrumpB次元官网网址檚 apparent jokes aside, the president-electB次元官网网址檚 actions could have real consequences for Canada. Trump threatened to implement damaging tariffs against AmericaB次元官网网址檚 closest neighbours on Day 1 of his administration unless the two countries stop the flow of migrants and illegal drugs into the U.S.

Canada subsequently announced a series of measures to beef up the border with a $1.3-billion package in response to the threat. But Trump has not said if he will pause the tariffs.

The Republican has also indicated his intention to make changes to the Canada-U.S.-Mexico Agreement. ItB次元官网网址檚 likely that work will begin sometime this year, ahead of the official trade pact review in 2026.

Trudeau attended a meeting Monday of the cabinet committee he re-established immediately after TrumpB次元官网网址檚 re-election. Finance Minister Dominic LeBlanc, who chairs that committee, has travelled to Florida twice in recent months to meet with Trump and his team.

Trudeau said the Liberal government will remain focused on fighting for Canadian interests during a leadership race that could include cabinet ministers who have been working on the Canada-U.S. file. LeBlanc and Foreign Affairs Minister M茅lanie Joly are both considered possibilities to run.

B次元官网网址淚 can assure you that the tools and the need to stand up for Canadians, to protect Canadians in their interests and continue to fight for the economy, is something everyone in this government will be singularly focused on,B次元官网网址� Trudeau said outside Rideau Cottage in Ottawa.

Dawson was less optimistic. Ottawa was already lagging in its response to concerns over the relationship with CanadaB次元官网网址檚 largest trading partner, she said. More than 77 per cent of Canadian exports go to the U.S.

B次元官网网址淣ow having Ottawa going from moving very slow to what looks like a full stall until March (2025), we really canB次元官网网址檛 afford to have this gap in leadership that lasts for so long,B次元官网网址� Dawson said.

Observers also say Trump only negotiates with people who have power and Trudeau is essentially a lame-duck leader. Hampson said Trump will not B次元官网网址渨aste his time with Ottawa.B次元官网网址�

That means, Hampson said, premiers are in a position where they will have to carry more of the bilateral burden, and a unified approach is critical.

Ontario Premier Doug Ford and Alberta Premier Danielle Smith have already made the rounds on American news stations, facing some criticism for going against the messages Ottawa would have preferred to send.

On Monday, Smith called on federal parties to force an election at the first available opportunity. She posted on social media that Canadians deserve a prime minister and federal government with a clear mandate B次元官网网址渢o negotiate with the incoming U.S. president and his administration on one of the most important international negotiations we have ever faced as a country.B次元官网网址�

Ford said he still wants to sit down with Trudeau and the rest of the countryB次元官网网址檚 premiers to strategize on the tariff threat, describing the moment as B次元官网网址渁ll hands on deck.B次元官网网址�

B次元官网网址淲e need the prime minister to continue doing his job B次元官网网址� prorogation doesnB次元官网网址檛 mean vacation,B次元官网网址� Ford said Monday.