Canada next on Trump 'land grab' list? China may have something to do with it. Reports claim...
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File photo of US President Trump with Canadian PM Carney Photograph: (Others)
Trump has privately expressed concerns about Canada’s ability to provide Arctic security amid China and Russia threats. But is this a precursor to a “land grab” of America's northern neighbour?
Despite the recent thaw in US-Canada ties since Mike Carney became Canadian prime minister after the disastrous show of Justin Trudeau, President Donald Trump has still not fully abandoned ambitions of making Canada the 51st state of the US, something he had threatened for months. If new reports are to be believed, there is still a 'secret plan' for a Canada land grab, with officials citing the same reasons attributed to Trump's moves for 'acquiring' Greenland: Arctic security, Russia and China. Citing officials, NBC News and other outlets reported that discussions on Canada gathered steam amid the recent visit of Carney to China. Will Trump act on his threat to take over its northern neighbour, or station US troops along its Arctic region?
What US officials said about Canada and Arctic security
Several unnamed current and former American officials told NBC News New York that Trump has privately ‘expressed concern’ to his aides about Canada’s ability to defend its northern border (in the Arctic region) against Russia and China. In the article titled Trump's latest Western Hemisphere fixation: Canada, NBC said Trump is "privately ramping up his focus on another target in the Western Hemisphere", Canada.
Canada’s northern border, a key part of Trump’s vision of “solidifying” the Western Hemisphere
Trump's push on Greenland has increased internal discussions about a broader 'Arctic strategy' that also includes Canada. The worry among American officials appears to be that, like Denmark—whose autonomous territory is Greenland—Canada would be unable to defend its borders against encroachment from Russia or China.
Specific arguments include that Canada needs to spend more on defence. "The world doesn’t see Canada as a major force when it comes to defence,” one official told NBC.
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Addressing this gap could include potentially reaching an agreement with Canada to fortify its northern border, said the report.
But will Trump actually invade Canada over Arctic security?
The objective discussed by officials cited in the NBC report is more about strengthening the focus on Arctic defences and cooperation, not annexation or takeover of Canada.
But extrapolating from the NBC news report, Trump-aligned media went on to claim that the president may be planning a 'land grab' in Canada. The Daily Beast, for instance, said in a report: "With 3.85 million square miles and 40 million residents, Canada is the largest target on Trump’s growing list of potential land grabs."
Countering Russia and China: The US Arctic strategy
NBC quoted an official as saying that Canada stands to benefit from the US having Greenland, adding: “At the end of the day, this is to stop Russia and China from having a further presence in the Arctic.”
The reports came as Canadian PM Carney said on Friday (Jan 16) that Canada stands behind Denmark as a NATO ally over the Greenland dispute.
Trump's longstanding desire for Canada
At least since 2024, Trump often threatened to use economic force against Canada and joked about making it the 51st state of the US. In fact, the last general election was won by Carney partly on a campaign focused against these moves by Trump. For much of 2025, Trump engaged in a tariff and trade war with Canada, openly sparring with its government and leaders.
Behind the scenes meanwhile, US officials have been holding talks with Canadian counterparts on how to increase defence cooperation in the Arctic.
The NBC report said the discussions do not include stationing US troops on Canadian soil.
Carney's China play is adding to the tensions
Carney, for his part, received a red carpet welcome in China on Friday. This is an effort to improve ties which went south since the arrest of Huawei CFO’s daughter, Meng Wanzhou, and further strains over the jailing of Canadian citizens in China. Carney, who met with President Xi Jinping in Beijing, became the first Canadian leader to visit China since 2017.
Will Trump really invade Canada or deploy American military there?
Trump himself had said earlier that it’s highly unlikely he would use military force against Canada. But now we have the case of Venezuela, which US forces attacked to extract its then-president Nicolás Maduro on January 3. Besides the threats to Greenland, Trump has also not ruled out US military deployment in Colombia and Mexico.
So one cannot predict what will happen to Canada.
