Trump's 51st fixation

Obsession: Idea of annexing Canada defies any easy explanation

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Savvy negotiating tactic? A wild fantasy? A greed for natural resources?

US President Donald Trump's fixation with annexing Canada is so singular as to defy any easy explanation.

"I think it's one of those things where Trump thinks it would be nice to pull it off, but he understands that it is less than a remote possibility," said Todd Belt, a political science professor at George Washington University.

"His rhetoric is mostly to take a tough and unpredictable bargaining stance."

On Tuesday, the 78-year-old Republican who, in recent weeks all but launched a global trade war, made his expansionist desire known, once again, on his Truth Social network.

"The only thing that makes sense is for Canada to become our cherished Fifty First State," Trump wrote, painting a bright future of lower taxes, no tariffs and security for Canadians.

Citizens of Canada are appalled by Trump's annexation talk.