Experts say annexing by ‘economic force’ involves more than just tariffs

The first shots of the trade war between the United States and Canada have been fired.

Whether it escalates beyond the planned 25 per cent tariff into a wider economic war depends upon how genuinely serious President Donald Trump is about annexation, experts say.

Tariffs are one thing. While painful and destructive, experts agree duties alone would not crush the Canadian economy, nor the political establishment, into submission.

Prior to his inauguration, Trump threatened to use “economic force” to compel Canada to become the 51st state in the union.

. . .

What does a full-blown economic war look like? Think sanctions, import and export restrictions, trade embargoes, theft of intellectual property.

  • sunzu2@thebrainbin.org
    114·
    1 day ago

    Bro… There is no public support for this beyond useful idiots and fringes.

    I can’t see military following such orders either.

    • pedz@lemmy.ca
      21·
      23 hours ago

      The US government already didn’t care what the public supports or not. They were already financing an unpopular genocide. That orange dictator is replacing key people with idiots loyal to him and his cause. So it won’t get better.

      Times and times again people have defended that orange turd, saying we were misinterpreting, or he was joking, or that he couldn’t do that, only for him to do it, and get away without any consequences.

      If you think this is not a serious possibility, you have not been paying attention.

    • floofloof@lemmy.caEnglish
      14·
      23 hours ago

      I can absolutely see the US military following those orders once Trump has replaced all the top brass with his cultists and the alternative is the harshest punishment they can come up with.

      And as for no public support, half the electorate just voted him back in after he spent weeks talking every day about how he would annex Canada. I suspect there are many tens of millions of Americans who support it.

      • Facebones@reddthat.com
        5·
        15 hours ago

        Misleading. He got about the same vote count as last time. He didn’t win, Harris lost by running as a Republican in service to capital.