Trump implies Canadians vote for him on election day, Poilievre tells president to butt out

Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre told the U.S. president to butt out of the federal election after Donald Trump appeared to suggest Canadians vote for him when they go to the polls on Monday.

"President Trump, stay out of our election. The only people who will decide the future of Canada are Canadians at the ballot box," Poilievre posted on social media.

Poilievre's comments came shortly after Trump injected himself into the federal election with a post on his social media site Truth Social, which began: "Good luck to the Great people of Canada." 

"Elect the man who has the strength and wisdom to cut your taxes in half, increase your military power, for free, to the highest level in the World, have your Car, Steel, Aluminum, Lumber, Energy, and all other businesses, QUADRUPLE in size, WITH ZERO TARIFFS OR TAXES, if Canada becomes the cherished 51st. State of the United States of America."

Trump went on in his post to repeat his argument that Canada joining the U.S. would be advantageous to the country, along with the false claim that the United States subsidizes Canada with "hundreds of billions of dollars a year."

But Poilievre said that Canada will always be proud, sovereign and independent, "and we will NEVER be the 51st state."

"Today Canadians can vote for change so we can strengthen our country, stand on our own two feet and stand up to America from a position of strength," Poilievre wrote.

Trump's trade war with Canada and the tariffs imposed on the country, along with repeated threats about Canadian sovereignty, became key issues in the 36-day campaign.

The U.S. president became an issue again last week after it was revealed in a Radio-Canada report that Trump had raised the issue of Canada becoming the 51st state in a call he had with Liberal Leader Mark Carney on March 28.

On the campaign trail, Carney was forced to respond to questions about why, at the time, he did not mention that Trump brought up the 51st state issue, instead saying that Trump had respected Canada's sovereignty.

When asked in a recent interview with Time magazine whether he was just trolling when talking about Canada as a 51st state, Trump responded. "Actually, no, I'm not."

"I'm really not trolling. Canada is an interesting case.… I say the only way this thing that really works is for Canada to become a state."

In an interview with Fox News last month, Trump, without mentioning either Carney or Poilievre by name, said he might rather deal with a Liberal over a Conservative.

"The Conservative that's running is stupidly no friend of mine. I don't know him, but he said negative things," Trump said.