British Prime Minister Keir Starmer refused on Thursday to weigh on the repeated calls from US President Donald Trump to make Canada on the 51st state, before Trump fully cut the British leader’s response during a joint press conference.
Starmer was asked if he or King Charles III was concerned about Trump’s rhetoric towards a member of the Commonwealth at the end of a visit to the White House which included several meetings on questions such as trade and war in Ukraine.
The British leader said that the subject of Canada had not occurred during these talks and sought to highlight the historical friendship between the United Kingdom and the United States.
“I think you are trying to find a gap between us that does not exist,” said Starmer.
After continuing with his answer for a while, Trump interrupted “it’s enough, thank you” and called another journalist.
Canada is a member of the British Commonwealth of former colonies. Although King Charles is technically the head of state of these countries, they are free to make their own decisions as independent nations.
In Canada, the king is represented by the Governor General who acts on the councils of the head of government, the Prime Minister.
The allies of the King and Canada in Europe have remained silent while Trump speaks several times that the United States took control of Canada, threatening the “economic force” to do so.
Although Canadian officials have sought to minimize Trump’s threats as an integration, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was heard to a group of Canadian leaders and Labor leaders at the beginning of the month that Trump’s threat was “a real thing”, linked to the desire for his administration of access to critical minerals in Canada.
Trump has threatened to impose steep prices in Canada and Mexico, quoting what he says that major fentanyl flows from the United States from these countries. The prices should come into force Tuesday after a 30 -day break, Trump confirmed this week.
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Foreign Minister Melanie Joly told journalists after a trip to Europe earlier this month that many European leaders did not fully understand the way Trump administration questions Canada’s economy, when they were asked why few national leaders have spoken against Trump’s threats against Canada.
“Based on my conversations with many European colleagues, many of them are not necessarily fully aware of what is happening, first in the United States and secondly in Canada. Each country of the world examines its own reality, ”she said.
“I think it was an alarm clock, so that Europeans hear what we are going through.”
Joly also added that she had not raised Trump’s comments that the United States was absorbed by the United States with Secretary of State Marco Rubio at a meeting with G7 colleagues in Germany. She said she replied when some American senators “made jokes on this subject” on the sidelines of a summit in Munich.
“I said it was not funny. And it is a question of respect for our country, respect for our leaders and respect for our people. And I always respond to the same thing, which is (that) we will be the best neighbor, the best allies-but we will never be a state and we will never be a colony, “she said.
“Canadians are proud people, a courageous people, and they do not accept any form of rhetoric against our own identity as a country.”
Canada Ambassador to the United States Kirsten Hillman told Global News last week that the word of Canada on the 51st state “almost never” in his discussions with Washington officials.
However, she said that Trump’s Republican Allies had also disowned her threats of annexation.
– with Canadian press files
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