Billionaire Elon Musk is facing criticism for a ridiculous response to Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau after Trudeau tweeted that there "isn't a snowball's chance in hell" that Canada would become the 51st U.S. state.
Trudeau's remark is the latest development since President-elect Donald Trump made headlines for jabbing him with remarks about Canadian statehood.
Trump, who first brought up the idea during a November meeting with Trudeau at Mar-a-Lago over Trump's threat to impose 25% tariffs on Canada and Mexico because of their alleged failures to curb the flow of illegal immigrants and illicit drugs into the U.S., has since inflamed tensions by referring to Trudeau as the governor of the “great state of Canada."
Trump also said he would use "economic force" instead of "military force" to annex the country, saying:
“You get rid of the artificially drawn line and you take a look at what that looks like and it would also be much better national security. Don’t forget: We basically protect Canada." ...
"You get rid of that artificially drawn line, and you take a look at what that looks like, and it would also be much better for national security. Canada and the United States, that would really be something."
A firm Trudeau responded to these statements in a post on X, writing:
"There isn’t a snowball’s chance in hell that Canada would become part of the United States. Workers and communities in both our countries benefit from being each other’s biggest trading and security partner."
And Musk—who seemed so sure of himself—responded:
"Girl, you’re not the governor of Canada anymore, so doesn’t matter what you say."
You can see their interaction below.
For one, Trudeau is not a "governor"—he is still the Canadian Prime Minister—and Musk's response betrays his lack of understanding about Canada's recent political challenges.
In December, Chrystia Freeland, Canada’s deputy prime minister and finance minister, abruptly resigned, delivering a sharp critique of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s leadership. Once a key ally of Trudeau, Freeland accused him of engaging in “costly political gimmicks” and failing to adequately prepare the country to address the economic and political challenges posed by Trump’s actions.
On Monday, Trudeau announced his resignation, stating he would remain in office until the governing Liberal Party selects a new leader, a process expected to conclude by late March.
Canada's Parliament has been prorogued, or temporarily suspended, until March 24th to allow time for the leadership race. Trudeau, whose minority government has struggled to pass legislation, criticized the current state of Parliament, describing it as “totally seized by obstruction, filibustering, and a total lack of productivity.”
He explained that the prorogation would enable his party to conduct a “robust, nationwide, competitive process” to choose a new leader. A more popular leader, he suggested, could strengthen the Liberals' position ahead of the upcoming national election.
While prorogation cancels all pending legislation, it does not impact the government’s daily operations—and Trudeau isn't going anywhere just yet.
And even though Trudeau's political position isn't great, Musk couldn't be more wrong—and he was swiftly mocked for his response.
Elon has never been the governor of Canada so it doesn’t matter what he says either.
— Zoltan Szalontay (@zoltanszalontay.bsky.social) January 8, 2025 at 1:15 PM
America needs to rid themselves of Musk.
— Cajun AF (@cajunasfuck.bsky.social) January 8, 2025 at 6:45 AM
Shows how ignorant a former legal resident of Canada knows about Canada. Trudeau is still PM and will be until a new leader is elected by the party.
— Ducksinarow (@socialnetwork25.bsky.social) January 8, 2025 at 7:28 AM
It's as if a group of maladjusted 13 year olds are playing Risk for the first time.
— Ray Dunn (@raycandlelight.bsky.social) January 8, 2025 at 7:50 AM
Girl, or weirdo, or freak, whatever you are, you are not the Governor of America.
— Midwest Jeff (@midwestjeff.bsky.social) January 8, 2025 at 7:47 AM
He's the most ridiculous clown on the planet.
— StrictlyChristo 🦋🇺🇦🌻 (@strictlychristo.bsky.social) January 8, 2025 at 3:09 AM
Canada is grappling with how to respond to Trump’s pledge to impose tariffs that could disrupt the trade agreement between Canada, the U.S., and Mexico.
Such tariffs would pose a significant threat to Canada’s economy, which relies heavily on exports, particularly oil and automobiles. The United States and Canada remain each other’s largest trading partners, making the potential economic fallout even more consequential.
Economists caution that if Trump proceeds with his plan to impose tariffs after his inauguration on January 20, the impact on Canada’s economy could be severe. In 2023, nearly C$3.6 billion (US$2.5 billion) in goods and services crossed the U.S.-Canada border daily, according to Canadian government data.
