President Donald Trump's choice to be U.S. ambassador to Canada on Thursday said that America’s northern neighbor is a sovereign state, showing some daylight with Trump on the issue. The president has insisted that Canada would be better off as the United States' newest member.
Former Rep. Pete Hoekstra was asked by at his Senate confirmation hearing by Sen. Chris Coons, D-Del., whether he agreed that Canada is a sovereign state and shouldn't be “even jokingly referred to as the 51st state.”
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“Canada is a sovereign state, yes,” Hoekstra replied. He was questioned shortly before Trump doubled down on his negative views of Canada during an Oval Office appearance with the head of NATO.
The Republican president continues to insist that Canada is among countries that take advantage of the United States. He also continues to erroneously cast the U.S. trade deficit with Canada — a natural resource-rich nation that provides the U.S. with commodities like oil — as a subsidy.
“We don’t need their cars. We don’t need their energy. We don’t need their lumber,” Trump said. “As a state it would be one of the great states.”
Trump has rankled Canadians by insisting that their country become the 51st state. The two countries are also now embroiled in a trade war started by Trump after he slapped tariffs on aluminum, steel and other goods brought in from Canada. In response, Canada is hiking tariffs on a variety of American imports.
Hoekstra is a former congressman from Michigan who served as U.S. ambassador to the Netherlands in Trump's first term.
In his opening statement, Hoekstra said that, as someone from Michigan, “I do have a special appreciation for Canada as a neighbor.” He said 36 states view Canada as their No. 1 trading partner and that he frequently interacted with Canada on trade and other issues when he was in Congress.