[vohk]

The justification is Trump wants to do to Canada much what Putin is doing to Ukraine. Russia being allowed to take Ukraine legitimizes world powers engaging in conquest within their sphere. It's really that simple.

The talk about fentanyl, the supposed trade imbalance, and all the rest is just smoke and noise, because if he said that he wanted to raid Canada for resources and Lebensraum it might actually threaten his support.

He's not being subtle in this. He and his people have made constant comments that Canada doesn't work as a nation, that the border is artificial, and even explicitly that the tariffs would just go away if Canada became the 51st state. This is economic warfare driven by manifest destiny.

[bdamm]

It is worse than this. Trump is just the spokesman for a younger group who is steering him. He doesn't actually know anything, he's just being fed punchlines and he's good at regurgitating them.

[chneu]

Trump usually goes along with whatever the last person said to him about a topic. Or whoever promises him the most in return(money or fame).

This was a major thing in his first term. People fight to be the last person to speak in a meeting.

[swat535]

Is annexing Canada something the United States could even realistically achieve in the next four years?

Even if such an effort were attempted, any progress would likely be reversed by the next administration, assuming Democrats return to power.

Beyond that, the situation has been highly disruptive to Canada. I've witness movements like "Free Alberta" and "Alberta 51" have gained traction, while some people display pro-Trump stickers and wave U.S. flags. At the same time, others are booing the U.S. national anthem and removing American flags.

Overall, this growing division is unhealthy for Canada and has only deepened existing tensions.

It's not fun to be in Canada right now..

[cmrdporcupine]

To be honest, I've never seen Canadians this united. The polling numbers on "Canada joining US" dropped significantly between December and March (from a tiny number to an even smaller number). The number of Quebecois identifying as Canadian and pro-Canada also went up markedly.

Nationalism is one hell of a drug.