A top White House official has raised the prospect of redrawing the U.S.-Canada border, as Donald Trump continues to push the idea of making Canada the 51st state, The Telegraph reports.
Peter Navarro, one of Trump’s closest advisers, is urging U.S. negotiators to discuss border revisions with Canadian counterparts—an idea that insiders have described as “crazy and dangerous.”
"Navarro recommended revising the Canada-U.S. border, which is just crazy and dangerous," a source close to the negotiations told The Telegraph.
In response, Canada has instructed its delegates to withdraw from negotiations with the U.S. until Jameson Greer and Howard Lutnick, two incoming members of Trump’s cabinet, are confirmed by the Senate. Ottawa views them as less extreme than Navarro.
“The Canadians have told their people to hold off negotiating with the U.S. government until Greer and Lutnick are confirmed and in place,” the source said.
Navarro, known for his direct access to Trump, has also suggested expelling Canada from the Five Eyes intelligence-sharing alliance, a crucial network for Western security cooperation.
White House insiders suggest he is "ruling the roost" in trade and economic discussions, taking advantage of the fact that many key administration positions remain unfilled.
“By default of no competition, he is temporarily ruling the roost,” a source added.
Trump has repeatedly claimed that Canada should become part of the U.S., even nicknaming Justin Trudeau as “Governor Trudeau.” The Canadian Prime Minister was caught on a hot mic warning that Trump’s annexation rhetoric might not just be talk.
“We protect Canada, but it’s not fair. It’s not fair that they’re not paying their way, and if they had to pay their way, they couldn’t exist,” Trump said during his first cabinet meeting.
Amid rising tensions, Trump recently reinstated a 25% tariff on Canada, which had been temporarily paused after Trudeau agreed to reinforce border security with new choppers, technology, and personnel.
Trump is also pushing to revive the Keystone XL Pipeline, a $9 billion oil project that was scrapped when Joe Biden revoked a key permit. Trump has promised "easy approvals" for the pipeline’s construction, urging the company behind it to “come back to America and get it built—NOW!”
While Trudeau has abandoned the project, Trump sees it as a priority to ensure a steady flow of Canadian oil to the U.S.
As the U.S.-Canada relationship faces one of its biggest diplomatic tests in decades, Trump’s ambitions for deeper control over Canada are stirring unease both in Ottawa and within his own administration.
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