Trump says 'Golden Dome' free for Canada if it joins US
President Donald Trump said Tuesday that Canada could join his proposed "Golden Dome" missile defense system for free — but only if it becomes part of the United States.
Otherwise it would cost Canada $61 billion to be part of the system, said Trump, who has repeatedly called for the United States' northern neighbour to become the 51st state.
Canada has expressed interest in joining the missile system -- plans for which Trump unveiled last week to defend against a wide array of enemy weapons -- but has firmly rejected any loss of sovereignty.
"I told Canada, which very much wants to be part of our fabulous Golden Dome System, that it will cost $61 Billion Dollars if they remain a separate, but unequal, Nation," Trump posted on his Truth Social network.
"But (it) will cost ZERO DOLLARS if they become our cherished 51st State. They are considering the offer!"
There was no immediate response from Canada to Trump's claims.
Trump announced plans for the "Golden Dome" system a week ago, saying it would eventually cost around $175 billion and would be operational by the end of his term in 2029.
Experts say the scheme faces huge technical and political challenges, and could cost far more than he has estimated to achieve its goals.
Trump also said at the time that Canada was interested in joining the missile system. Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney then confirmed that his country had held "high level" talks on the issue.
NATO members Canada and the United States are partners in continental defense through the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD).
But the scheme now seems set to add to the tensions that Trump has sparked with Canada.
Carney politely but firmly dismissed Trump's calls for Canada to become part of the United States when he visited the White House earlier this month, saying his country was "never for sale."
The Canadian premier and Trump did however appear to smooth over some of the strains over the tariffs that the US president has slapped on Ottawa.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The National
33 minutes ago
- The National
Donald Trump 'disappointed' in Elon Musk as rift between former allies grows
US President claimed the Tesla CEO, who financially backed his 2024 campaign, has 'Trump derangement syndrome' after disagreements over a spending bill
The National
38 minutes ago
- The National
Tesla shares plunge 15% as Trump-Musk rift intensifies
Tesla shares fell more than 15 per cent on Thursday, as the rift between US President Donald Trump and Elon Musk grew over the president's tax bill. The two billionaires dismantled swathes of the federal government during Mr Trump's first four months in office, but are now sparring over the contents of a Republican-led budget that is currently being debated by lawmakers in Congress. 'Elon and I had a great relationship. I don't know if we will anymore,' Mr Trump said in the Oval Office. 'I was surprised.' While Mr Trump was speaking, Mr Musk sent out a series of tweets critical of Mr Trump and the bill, called the 'One Big Beautiful Bill Act'. 'Without me, Trump would have lost the election, Dems would control the House and the Republicans would be 51-49 in the Senate,' Mr Musk wrote on X, the platform he bought in 2022. Shares in Tesla were down 13.46 per cent during afternoon trading, with the company's market capitalisation falling below $1 trillion to $925.21 billion. Shares in Trump Media fell 4.07 per cent. Mr Musk, the world's richest man, spent about $300 million during the 2024 election to support Mr Trump and other Republican candidates. But Tesla, the electric vehicle maker that Mr Musk runs, is likely to be adversely impacted by the budget bill circulating through Congress. The bill would eliminate a $7,500 tax credit for electric vehicles by the end of this year. 'Elon was 'wearing thin,' I asked him to leave,' Mr Trump posted on Truth Social. 'I took away his EV Mandate that forced everyone to buy Electric Cars that nobody else wanted (that he knew for months I was going to do!), and he just went CRAZY!' Mr Musk responded by tweeting, 'Such an obvious lie. So sad.' Mr Trump also suggested cutting Mr Musk's government contracts and subsidies. Mr Musk and his businesses, which includes SpaceX, has received at least $38 billion in government contracts, credits, loans and subsidies, according to an analysis conducted by The Washington Post. Mr Musk began his series of attacks against the bill – which he branded a 'disgusting abomination' on Tuesday. A non-partisan analysis from the Congressional Budget Office estimated it would add $2.4 trillion to the US debt. Mr Musk also denied a claim from Mr Trump that 'he knew the inner workings' of the tax bill better than almost anyone else. 'This bill was never shown to me even once and was passed in the dead of night so fast that almost no one in Congress could even read it,' he tweeted on Thursday. Mr Musk departed the White House last week after coming in with plans to slash $2 trillion in federal spending, but he most recently commented that the Department of Government Efficiency would save $150 billion by the end of the 2026 financial year.
The National
an hour ago
- The National
Trump hosts Germany's Merz at White House to discuss Ukraine and tariffs
President Donald Trump hosted Germany's new leader Chancellor Friedrich Merz at the White House on Thursday, to discuss Ukraine and defence spending, as well as tariffs. Mr Merz, whose visit is partially aimed at convincing the US to continue supporting Kyiv, said Mr Trump would be a vital figure in bringing an end to the conflict. 'We both agree on this war and how terrible this war that is going on, and we are both looking for ways to stop it very soon,' Mr Merz said. 'And I told the President before we came in that he is the key person in the world who can really do that now by putting pressure on Russia.' The US President called Mr Merz a 'very good man to deal with'. The visit comes a day after Mr Trump held a phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin, during which he said there would be no 'immediate peace' in the three-year-old war. It was a stark turnaround for the US President, who took office this year on a promise to swiftly end the war in Ukraine. He said that Mr Putin has vowed to retaliate after Kyiv unleashed a surprise drone offensive that hit Russian airfields across the country, taking out many heavy bombers and surveillance planes. Mr Trump is set to attend the Nato summit later this month, a meeting that is expected to be dominated by the war in Ukraine. The meetings will come shortly after Mr Trump is scheduled to attend the Group of Seven leaders' summit in Canada, where allies are also expected to discuss ways to end the conflict. Germany, the biggest economy in the EU, is eager to ease trade tension with the US after Mr Trump announced sweeping tariffs on the bloc on April 2. A 50 per cent levy on European goods is scheduled to take effect on July 9. 'We'll have a big trade deal,' Mr Trump said. 'I guess that will be mostly determined by the European Union, but you're a very big part of that.' During the meeting, Mr Trump also said the two leaders would discuss the roughly 45,000 US troops stationed in Germany. 'We have a lot of them, about 45,000, it's a lot of troops,' Mr Trump said. 'That's good economic development, they're highly paid troops and they spend a lot of money in Germany.'
