Trump released the "new map of the United States" and Trudeau responded, but was mocked by Musk

Donald Trump, the soon-to-be US president who regularly makes threats to "take over Canada," has taken his claims to a new level.

On the evening of January 7, Trump posted a new image on "Truth Social," the social media platform he created, showing a "new map of the United States after merging with Canada" with the American flag painted over the entirety of the map. "O Canada!" he wrote.

A few moments later, Trump posted a similar image. In that second post, Canada and the US were the same dark blue color and the words "UNITED STATES" were written in all capital English letters across the image.

Trump had made his latest threats in the afternoon on Saturday, January 7, during a press conference at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida, where he has been living since leaving the White House in 2021. At the event, he refused to rule out "military or economic coercion" to seize control of the Panama Canal and Greenland and reiterated his plans to "take over Canada," as well as to rename the Gulf of Mexico the "Gulf of America" in the near future.

During the event, he also re-visited his claims about the supposed Chinese threat in the gulf, claiming China "owns all the ports along the canal now" and that "hundreds of Chinese ships surround the US every single day."

In particular, he said that he would like to use "economic power" to convince Canada to become the 51st state. "I don't have the power to make Canada become a state within the United States, that's for sure, but America does not have to financially help Canada," he said, referring to Canada as his country's "closest neighbor."

In response to Trump's claims, Canada's ruling Liberal Party shared an image of the US and Canadian flags with the country's borders on the platform formerly known as Twitter, X.

In the image, the US-Canada border is clearly outlined and the map is labeled "United States." Next to this is the Canadian flag with the country's borders. The image, which went viral, says, "Not U.S."

"We have a message for those who seem to be confused," the Liberal Party wrote.

Canadian Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly said in response to Trump's post that it "clearly demonstrates [Trump's] complete ignorance of everything that makes Canada strong." Joly reminded Trump that "Canadians will never back down in the face of a threat."

Canada's prime minister, Justin Trudeau, also responded. "Canada will never be a part of the US," he wrote.

"That's a non-story. We'll never have to worry about that," Trudeau wrote. "Canada will never be part of the US. That's a good thing, because it means Canadian and American workers and families – our biggest trading and security partners, respectively – will benefit from our close relationship for years to come."

Under Trudeau's post, Elon Musk, who Trump appointed as head of a new "Department of Government Efficiency" the following day, wrote, "Since you're no longer Prime Minister of Canada, your opinion doesn't matter."

Musk also called Trudeau a "girl."

On November 25, Trump posted that "on January 20th, my first day as President, I will immediately sign an executive order, among many, for a 25% Tariff on all imports coming into the US from both Mexico and Canada to stop the flow of illegal immigration, crime, & drugs. Additional tariffs of 10% on all China imports for a total of 30%!"

According to Statista, over 83% of Mexico's exports in 2023 went to the US and over 75% of Canada's exports went to the US. Trade is also central to the Canadian economy – making up almost 60% of Canada's GDP.

Moreover, the US imports more energy products from Canada than any other country. According to the US Energy Information Administration, the US imported nearly all of its crude oil from Canada in 2023. A report from the Canadian Chamber of Commerce estimates that a 10% tariff would cause Canada to lose $30 billion.

Trump has not only threatened Canada with tariffs, but he has also repeatedly made fun of the country and its prime minister, by calling Trudeau the "governor of Canada" and referring to Canada as the "51st state."

On November 25, after announcing his tariffs against countries such as Canada and China, Trump said, "I would like to buy Greenland ... I'd almost like to make a deal with Denmark, buy it. Just buy it. We would protect it."

He then went on to say, "I've learned about the Panama Canal [since leaving office]. We've got to get that back. That's not right. That belongs to China, and we pay millions and millions and millions of dollars every day to keep it open. We could save a fortune, make a fortune [by taking control of it]."

Amid internal political strife, Trudeau resigned as leader of the Liberal Party on January 6.

The day after he announced his resignation, Trump wrote that "numerous Canadians like the idea of becoming America's 51st State. The massive Trade Deficits and Subsidies the US gives just to keep Canada alive are totally unsustainable any longer. Prime Minister Trudeau knew this was coming and decided to resign...No tariffs, and dramatically lower taxes in return for being part of North America is a great deal for the people living in Canada."