Ahead of the much-anticipated final game in the “Four Nations” mid-season national tournament pitting Team USA’s men’s hockey program against the internationally dominant Team Canada, Donald Trump stepped in to once again insult Canada, enflaming a situation that was already dangerously emotional, unnecessarily taking even more away from a game that should be more about the highest level of play and the stakes than any lingering animosity between the two countries. But Trump once again found the need to be an international “dick” and antagonize a country that has done essentially nothing but be a good neighbor over the years, making most people believe that Trump continues to do this primarily because he “can” and he just enjoys making people angry. I happen to think that Trump believes he can charm and intimidate Canada into actually joining the U.S. – and that it’s not entirely healthy for believing such because it’s just never going to happen, not as things stand, anyway. It especially won’t ever happen in a world where Trump is president.
The final will be played in about seven hours as of this writing, and yet just this morning Trump took to Truth Social to publish the following according to a report in The Athletic:
“I’ll be calling our GREAT American Hockey Team this morning to spur them on towards victory tonight against Canada, which with FAR LOWER TAXES AND MUCH STRONGER SECURITY, will someday, maybe soon, become our cherished, and very important, Fifty First State,” Trump posted.
Trump also invited Trudeau to watch Thursday’s game along with U.S. governors in Washington, D.C.
It appears as though Trump is unable to process the fact that Canadians – through the democratic process, vote to actually tax themselves and if Canadians tax themselves at a higher rate, they get very nice things in return, national healthcare for one, and that soaks up about $250-$500 per month in money that would otherwise go to health insurance – that’s a lot of tax dollars. There is also the fact that Canadians don’t feel as big a need for military security because much of Canadian security comes from the fact that very few nations would want to attack Canada in the first place. Of course, there is also the fact that Canada has close to the same number of people as California, and a land mass almost two times the size of the United States, calling it a “state” is an insult as it is – perhaps add six to ten more states he insists… Then there is the invite to Prime Minister Trudeau to watch with “governors” and not presidents. It never ends, like an adolescent bully, not much more.
One gets the sense that even Team USA personnel were uncomfortable with the 51st state talk. From the report in The Athletic, we see the spokesman deftly avoiding the topic:
According to Team USA 4 Nations general manager Bill Guerin, Trump did reference the 51st state on the call. “A little bit, but I would just try to focus on the message that he was giving us,” Guerin said. “I’ve said it before: We’re here to play hockey. This is not a political forum. This is a hockey tournament. And he’s just trying to be supportive in the best way that he could, and we appreciate it.”
Wrong. It is obvious that Trump was trying to stoke political unrest. So Guerin can try to reframe the discussion however he would like but the reality is that his answer says it all – he isn’t comfortable with Trump politicizing the matter – so Guerin smartly stayed off it.
From @theathletic.bsky.social: President Trump stoked simmering political tensions ahead of the U.S.-Canada hockey final by again referring to Canada as the “Fifty First State” and calling Prime Minister Justin Trudeau “governor.” nyti.ms/4k0IKbj
— The New York Times (@nytimes.com) 2025-02-20T17:28:03.292Z
All I know is that as a dual citizen, one born in Canada, one that played hockey both as a kid and in college, I will be cheering Canada on. The U.S. wins so many things in so many ways. Americans can win basketball every year from now until the end of time. Certainly, the U.S. is far better at hockey than at any time in the past. And yet it is Canada that will line up Sid Crosby, Connor McDavid, and Todd MacKinnon – perhaps the greatest line to ever play the game, seemingly unbeatable. The game is on ESPN at 7:00 p.m. expect booing during both national anthems. But do not expect fights in the first seconds of this game. No, this is the championship and both teams know the political prize is paramount – thus it is that winning this game is the actual prize, one way too valuable to risk penalty minutes over some punches. I’ll be shocked if there are fights beyond massive hits in the corners.
For those of you who aren’t big hockey fans, watch anyway. This will be less about hockey than it is about international tensions playing out among the most talented players on the globe, not so much a game as an event, a place in time. We will see what happens. I guarantee that Canada won’t be playing as anyone’s “state” – and will do all it can to maintain its world dominance.
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I wish Trudeau would tell Trump he’d invite him to a meeting in Canada except felons are prohibited from entering Canada.
Go Canada!!!!
Given Herr Trumpler’s record of jinxing football teams that he’s supported, I suspect that the Team USA players weren’t all that “delighted” to hear from him at all.
I don’t think they like hearing the “51st state” crap – you can kind of tell from the quote above. They know it does nothing but work Canada up, motivating the players that much more. Plus, in sports, it’s best to save the trash talk for the game itself or after the win.
Canadians may pay a few hundred dollars a year more in tax, but in return they don’t have to pay ANY health insurance premiums, or co-pays, or have claims turned down, (including, sometimes, in the middle of treatment), or be presented with bills so large they have to declare bankruptcy after spending their life savings and liquidating their assets like Americans have to.
So their overall cost burden of having a superior health system to The USA – as measured by life expectancy, child, and maternal mortality, and any other way you can assess it, is actually FAR LESS. And as a bonus, with the competent governance these LOWER costs come with, they don’t have to worry about their children or themselves being shot by idiots with guns or rampant disease either.
No wonder they’re insulted at the suggestion of joining an inferior society, governed by incompetents and money being forced on them.
No wonder sales of American anything in Canada have fallen off a cliff. Are Tesla sales down 50, 60 ,80 %?
Why yes they are.
Karma has the last say.