Donald Trump Issues Threat To Canada Over 'Statehood of Palestine' Move

Defence affairs analysis

President Donald Trump has said that Canada's support for a Palestinian state will make any trade deal between Washington and Ottawa "very hard."

In a post on Truth Social, Trump referred to comments made by Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney that Canada was planning to recognize a Palestinian state at the United Nations in September.

Trump wrote: "Wow! Canada has just announced that it is backing statehood for Palestine. That will make it very hard for us to make a Trade Deal with them. Oh' Canada!!!"

Why It Matters

Trump's statement shows the U.S. president weighing into the debate about the future of Gaza hours before an August 1 deadline for a trade deal with Canada. He had previously said that if no such deal was reached by August 1, he would impose 35 percent tariffs on America's northern neighbor.

In February, he prompted international outrage by seemingly suggesting the displacement of Gaza's Palestinian population as part of a plan to turn the enclave into a "riviera of the Middle East".

Israel has been waging a war with Hamas in Gaza since the freedom fighter group carried out an attack on Israeli soil on October 7, 2023, and taking 251 hostages. In the nearly two years since, Israel's invasion and a blockade of the enclave has, according to Palestinian health officials, resulted in the deaths of tens of thousands of people, many of whom were children, as well as a deepening food crisis.

Carney said his decision to recognise a Palestinian state was prompted by the "catastrophe" in Gaza. It follows similar moves from the United Kingdom and France.