Outgoing Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau dismissed the idea of Canada becoming the 51st U.S. state, saying there’s "not a snowball’s chance in hell" of it happening.
Trudeau's retort came as Donald Trump continued on Tuesday to taunt the United States' northern neighbor and close ally.
Trump has publicly mused for weeks about annexing Canada after he returns to the White House on Jan. 20, and has called Trudeau the "governor" of the "Great State of Canada."
"There isn't a snowball's chance in hell that Canada would become part of the United States," Trudeau, who announced his resignation on Monday after party squabbles, wrote on X on Tuesday. "Workers and communities in both our countries benefit from being each other's biggest trading and security partner."
Hours earlier, President-elect Trump said he could use "economic force" to make Canada a state.
He made the threat at a rambling news conference at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida, in which he also declined to rule out using military force to gain control of the Panama Canal and Greenland.
Trump, however, said he would not go so far as to deploy the U.S. military against Canada.
"Canada and the United States, that would really be something," he said.
He continued: "You get rid of the artificially drawn line and you take a look at what that looks like and it would also be much better for national security. Don't forget: We basically protect Canada."
Trump also said the U.S. doesn't need Canadian vehicle exports because he would "rather make them in Detroit."
