The best way for Canada to stick it to Trump is to become our 51st state | Opinion
If Canada were to become the 51st state it would immediately get two U.S. senators, which, given the way Canadians feel about President Trump, could hand Democrats the Senate.
I have a special message, a humble request, really, for our Canadian brothers and sisters, particularly our beloved “snowbirds” who each year are gracious enough, and generous enough, to spend their winters in the desert paradise we call home.
My request is: Please, nest here, permanently.
Or, should those of you visiting for a few months return to The Great White North, I would urge you to persuade your fellow Canucks to go along with President Donald Trump’s desire to make Canada the 51st state.
Because if you do that Trump … is … finished.
Done.
Sure, he’ll still be president. But he would not be able to do much of anything, and his MAGA sycophants would probably get crushed in every future election.
Instead of 'divide and conquer,' a chance to join and conquer
First, because with all of his insults, his condescending attitude, his tariffs and more, Trump has done nothing but alienate Canadians.
And the insults keep coming.
For those of you wintering in Arizona, for example, a new rule set to take effect on April 11 from Trump’s Department of Homeland Security says that those of you visiting for more than 30 days must register with authorities and have your fingerprints taken.
Seems spiteful, doesn't it?
Do you recall the old saying that goes, "Divide and conquer,” a strategy for defeating an enemy that is said to go all the way back to ancient Babylonians?
Well, in this case, victory for Canada would be achieved by doing just the opposite. Join and conquer.
The math gives Canada the chance to tip every future election
Plenty of analysts and news operations have done the math (which appears to have been a subject that neither Trump nor any of those working for him took very seriously in school).
If Canada were to become the 51st state it would immediately get two U.S. senators, which, given the way Canadians feel about Trump, could hand Democrats the Senate.
And, based on its population (bigger than that of California) Canada would probably be allocated about 45 seats in the House of Representatives. After which Americans might well start calling Canada “Big Blue,” since control of the House also likely would flip.
Then there are the 47 electoral votes Canada would receive.
What chance would any future MAGA presidential candidate have against that?
A while back, at a time when Trump was first talking about Canada becoming the 51st state and Canadians thought of it more as a joke than an existential threat, I read an article describing the overall political makeup of Canada and the possible implications it might have if it joined the United States.
That particular article had a line in it that read, “Trump and his Republican Party would certainly not like the answer: the GOP might never win a national election ever again.”
O Canada – if you are weary of all things Trump and want to stick it to him in the worst possible way, then come on down and lend a hand to your old Uncle Sam.
Eh?
EJ Montini is a columnist for the Arizona Republic, where this column originally appeared. Reach Montini at ed.montini@arizonarepublic.com.