Trump Discusses Annexing Canada, Recession Fears, and Constitutional Obligations

President Donald Trump’s initial 100 days of his second term have been marked by discussions surrounding Executive Orders, tariffs, international relations in the context of the trade war initiated by these tariffs, and remarks concerning the potential annexation of Canada, among other subjects.

These issues were previously addressed, and unsurprisingly, they resurfaced during Trump’s interview with NBC’s Meet the Press at his Mar-a-Lago residence in Palm Beach, Florida.

The following are the main points Trump discussed during his televised interview with Kristen Welker, which was broadcast in its entirety on Sunday, May 4:

A desire to annex Canada and make it the “51st state”

Trump has recently expressed his desire to annex Canada and integrate it as the 51st state on multiple occasions. In a Truth Social post on March 11, he addressed Canadian concerns about tariffs by stating: “The only thing that makes sense is for Canada to become our cherished Fifty First State. This would make all tariffs, and everything else, totally disappear.”

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, who won the Canadian election on April 28, has reiterated Canada’s lack of interest in Trump’s proposal, similar to his predecessor Justin Trudeau. “,” he said.

In his recent interview, Trump mentioned congratulating Carney on his victory and reaffirmed his aspiration to make Canada the 51st state, indicating he will “always talk about that.” He reiterated his previous stance, again referring to Canada’s former Prime Minister as “Governor Trudeau.”

He emphasized what he sees as unfair trade practices with Canada, asserting that the country relies on the United States.

“If Canada was a state it wouldn’t cost us. It would be great. It would be such a great—it would be a cherished state. And, if you look at our map, if you look at the geography, I’m a real estate guy at heart. When I look down at that without that artificial line that was drawn with a ruler many years ago… You don’t even realize. What a beautiful country it would be,” he said. “Again, remember this, we don’t need their cars, we don’t need their lumber, we don’t need their energy. We don’t need anything. We do very little business with Canada. They do all of their business practically with us. They need us. We don’t need them.”

Trump added that using military force against Canada to achieve statehood was “highly unlikely,” even though he is keen on the idea.

Is the U.S. heading into a recession?

Trump reiterated his previous statements regarding the potential for his , which caused market instability upon their announcement in early April, to trigger a recession in the U.S.

When asked whether a short-term recession was acceptable, Trump responded: “Yeah, it’s… everything’s okay. I said, this is a transition period. I think we’re going to do fantastically.”

The President addressed concerns from Wall Street about increasing. The Commerce Department reported at the end of April that the U.S. economy in early 2025.

Trump again emphasized the potential long-term benefits he anticipates, rather than addressing concerns about the current economic situation.

“Anything can happen,” he said. “But I think we’re going to have the greatest economy in the history of our country. I think we’re going to have the greatest economic boom in history.”

He also claimed that many economic issues were a result of the Biden administration. “I think the good parts are the Trump economy and the bad parts are the Biden economy, because he’s done a terrible job,” he stated.

Does a President need to uphold the Constitution?

Trump was questioned about his recent dispute with the Supreme Court, which mandated that the federal government “facilitate” ‘s return to the United States. Ábrego García, a Maryland resident, was deported to El Salvador by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in March due to what was initially described as an administrative error. Despite entering the U.S. illegally years ago, a judge granted him “withholding of removal” status in 2019, as his fears of persecution in El Salvador were deemed credible.

Despite the Supreme Court’s directive, the Trump Administration has thus far refused to “facilitate” Ábrego García’s return.

“I have the power to ask for him to come back if I’m instructed by the Attorney General that it’s legal to do so,” Trump stated. “But the decision as to whether or not he should come back will be the head of El Salvador. He’s a very capable man.”

When asked if he believes that every person in the U.S. deserves due process, regardless of their legal status, Trump replied, “I don’t know. I’m not a lawyer.” After Welker cited the , which stipulates that “no person” shall be “deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law,” Trump responded again.

“I don’t know. It seems—it might say that, but if you’re talking about that, then we’d have to have a million or two million or three million trials,” the President said. “We have thousands of people that are—some murderers and some drug dealers and some of the worst people on Earth.”

When asked if he needs to uphold the Constitution as the U.S. President, Trump said: “I don’t know. I have to respond by saying, again, I have brilliant lawyers that work for me, and they are going to obviously follow what the Supreme Court said. What you said is not what I heard the Supreme Court said. They have a different interpretation.”