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Today’s post is sponsored by StreamYard.
Let’s say the unthinkable happened: Canada joins the United States.
It’s a wild hypothetical, but hear me out. Canada has 10 provinces and 3 territories. If they were absorbed into the U.S., you could imagine each province becoming its own state. That would boost the U.S. from 50 states to 60.
Which leads to the real question: why would someone like Donald Trump want that?
The U.S. political map is finely balanced. Republicans and Democrats are locked in a tight tug-of-war for control of Congress. The Senate, in particular, is divided by razor-thin margins, and adding new states could shift that balance dramatically.
So why would Trump, or any Republican, risk adding a bunch of new states that lean left?
Because in a world where politics is chess, Trump has always preferred checkers—with a bulldozer. He tends to think in terms of legacy, branding, and disruption, not traditional political risk. Absorbing Canada could be spun as the biggest real estate deal in history—a signature Trump move. “We made America... even greater!”
But here’s the kicker: most of Canada leans politically center-left. If each province became a state, we’d likely see a flood of new Democratic senators and representatives. That’s not exactly a win for a Republican agenda.
Of course, Trump could argue that Canadian provinces would be required to conform to American constitutional law, capitalism, and military alliances—while portraying it as “liberating” Canadians from high taxes and government overreach.
But that doesn’t change the math. Imagine adding 20 new Senators (two per province). If even 7 or 8 of those new states consistently elect Democrats, the current GOP edge in the Senate would vanish overnight. And remember, Canada’s universal healthcare system and progressive social policies don’t exactly scream “MAGA.”
There’s also the cultural shift. You think political polarization is strong now? Imagine trying to explain the Electoral College to Quebec.
Realistically, this scenario isn’t happening anytime soon. But it’s a fascinating “what if.” Not because it’s likely—but because it shows how power, geography, and ideology collide in American politics.
If Trump did push for something like this, it would be more about spectacle and headlines than strategy. It might fire up the base, dominate the news cycle, and let him brand a new line of hats: “Make Canada Ours Again.”
In the end, absorbing Canada wouldn’t help the GOP keep control—it might just hand it to the Democrats for a generation.
But Trump has never been one to think small.]
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