Businessman and Shark Tank star Kevin O’Leary revealed that President-elect Donald Trump is hosting discussions at Mar-a-Lago about the possibility of integrating Canada into the United States. O’Leary, a Canadian citizen, confirmed his participation in the discussions during an interview with Fox News.
The revelation comes after Trump suggested on Truth Social that Canada could become the “51st state.” Trump wrote, “If Canada merged with the U.S., there would be no Tariffs, taxes would go way down, and they would be TOTALLY SECURE from the threat of the Russian and Chinese Ships that are constantly surrounding them. Together, what a great Nation it would be!!!”
During the Fox News segment, host Martha MacCallum noted that O’Leary had “some very strong feelings about joining our country with Canada.” O’Leary elaborated, saying he had approached Trump with two key topics for discussion.
“Number one was integrating Canada towards a North American union for greater strength, just period,” O’Leary said. “The world is a difficult place these days, and most Canadians would like to look at that opportunity without giving up their sovereignty.”
He suggested incremental steps like a combined currency or merging Canada’s central bank with the U.S. Federal Reserve. “Low-hanging fruit would be a combined currency, for example, combining the Bank of Canada with the Fed, things like that,” he added.
O’Leary also urged Trump to give Canada time to elect new leadership that could facilitate such discussions. “I pleaded with Trump to give the Canadians a chance to re-elect a leader, just like you got re-elected, that has a four-year mandate, just like you have, and let’s get down to business,” he said.
In addition to the merger talks, O’Leary presented Trump with a plan to purchase TikTok from its Chinese parent company, emphasizing the role Trump’s administration could play in facilitating the deal. “Trump will be who we have to work with to close the deal in the months ahead,” O’Leary said. “So I wanted to let him know, as well as others in his cabinet, that we’re doing this and we’re gonna need their help.”
The discussions at Mar-a-Lago, though preliminary, highlight Trump’s interest in reshaping North America’s political and economic landscape, sparking intrigue and debate on both sides of the border.