Vice President J.D. Vance mistakenly referred to Canada as a "state" during a political event in Maine before correcting himself, calling it a "Freudian slip". The statement comes amid escalating tensions between the US and Canada over trade talks, with President Donald Trump repeatedly referring to Canada as the "51st state" and suggesting annexation. In recent days, trade negotiations have broken down, with both sides accusing each other of unfair proposals. President Trump has threatened to raise automobile tariffs on Canada to 50% starting in January.
Written by the local model on 2026-08-25,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
Vice President J.D. Vance on Monday called Canada a “state,” before claiming it was an accident.
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it → call → Canada
“We have to remember, Canada is a state—sorry, Freudian slip,” Vance said during a political event in Maine, after being asked about the recent heated trade talks between the U.S. and its northern neighbor.
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Vance → have → U.S.
He went on to say that “Canada is a country that has underinvested in its military that quite literally would get invaded by a foreign country were it not for the umbrella of protection provided by the United States of America.”
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it → go → America
Vance’s slip-up comes after President Donald Trump has hurled a number of barbs at Canada and its political leaders since he took office for a second term.
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he → come → term
The President has repeatedly referred to Canada as the “51st state,” suggesting that the U.S. should annex its northern neighbor.
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U.S. → refer → neighbor
In March, Trump called Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney the “future Governor of Canada.”
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Trump → call → Canada
Carney has repeatedly and firmly pushed back on Trump’s comments; last year, the Canadian Prime Minister said of the suggestion of annexing Canada: “As I’ve said to anyone who’s raised this issue in private or in public, including the President, it will never happen.”
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it → push → President
When TIME asked Trump last year whether he was “trolling a little bit” when he speaks about making Canada a U.S. state, Trump replied, “Actually, no, I’m not.”
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I → ask → Trump
Trump: ‘Without the United States, Canada couldn’t survive’
“America has been carrying Canada for decades, but no longer!” Trump said in his post.
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Trump → survive → post
Without the United States, Canada couldn’t survive —
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Canada → survive → States
It’s where they get all of their money and, because of their current bad leadership, primarily Governor Carney, and his Flunky, Ford, they will not be allowed to keep taking advantage of the United States — Their key to survival
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they → ’ → survival
Trump referred to Ontario Premier Doug Ford, who has been a vocal critic of the tariffs that the Trump Administration has imposed or threatened to impose on Canadian goods.
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Administration → refer → goods
In addition to calling Ford Carney’s “Flunky,” Trump said the Premier was “the less charismatic, intelligent, and overall unimpressive brother of the late, great, Rob Ford,” a former mayor of Ontario’s capital, Toronto.
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Premier → call → capital
Tensions between the allied countries have escalated in recent days.
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Tensions → ally → days
Trump claimed earlier last week that, “subject to the finalization of documents,” the two nations had reached a deal, but trade negotiations between the two broke down on Friday, and both sides have pointed the finger at the other.
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sides → claim → other
In a statement shared late on Friday, Carney said that “progress has not been enough to meet our objectives for Canadians” and so he “decided to suspend trade negotiations with the U.S.”
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he → share → U.S.
He accused the U.S. of proposing “last-minute changes” that he called “unfair, uneconomic, and called into question the reliability of any deal."
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he → accuse → deal
On Monday, Trump said that he plans to raise automobile tariffs on Canada to 50% starting on Jan. 1, 2027.
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he → say → Jan.
His 50% tariffs on about $20 billion worth of goods imported into the U.S. from Canada went into effect over the weekend, and Carney said that Canada would respond with retaliatory tariffs on U.S. goods that will take effect on Sept. 8.
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that → import → Sept.
At a press conference on Monday, Carney said that Canada was still open to trade talks, but that any deal would have to “be one that respects Canada’s sovereignty.”
“When the Americans go to the negotiation table first with the right attitude towards our industries and a true partnership, of course we’ll come to the negotiating table,” he said.
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he → say → table
“An attitude at the negotiation table that Canada is a subsidiary of the United States,” he continued, “that’s not something we’re going to accept.”
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we → continue → States
