Title: Doug Ford Plans to Ignore Trump’s 51st State Remarks

Ontario Premier Doug Ford announced he will "ignore Trump" after the U.S. president revived his rhetoric about Canada becoming the 51st state. This statement came during a press conference on Wednesday, following Ford's meeting with Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer in Toronto.

"President Trump is back at it again," Ford said, referring to Trump's comments made during a meeting with U.S. military generals in Virginia. Ford expressed frustration with the repeated suggestion that Canada could join the United States, stating, "This guy is too much. He’s back on his 51st state again… I am going to ignore him."

The term "51st state" has been used by Trump to propose the idea of Canada joining the U.S., which currently consists of 50 states. During his address in Virginia, Trump mentioned that Canada could join a U.S. missile defense program "for free" if it became the 51st state. He remarked, "I don’t know if that made a big impact, but it does make a lot of sense, because they’re having a hard time up there in Canada now because, as you know, with tariffs, everyone’s coming into our country."

Ford emphasized that he would focus on working with the Canadian federal government to improve the business environment in Ontario, rather than engaging with Trump’s comments. He stated, "I disagree with anything that guy says. He drives me crazy. I’ll talk about him. But let’s stop worrying about this guy and start worrying about what we can do as a country."

Trump's remarks about Canada joining the U.S. came shortly after a tense exchange involving U.S. Ambassador to Canada Pete Hoekstra at a forum in Banff, Alberta. When asked about Canadians' concerns regarding Trump's annexation rhetoric, Hoekstra responded, "My direction from the president is very, very clear: prosperity, safety and security. And for those Canadians who want to talk about growing business opportunities, securing their borders and those types of things…the embassy is open to do business with you."

Hoekstra also expressed offense at Canadians labeling Trump as "uninformed," stating, "You may not like some of the things that he says or whatever, but again, to describe the president as being uninformed…you don’t hear Americans talk about our disagreements with Canadian politicians, saying they’re just uninformed."