Trump says Golden Dome missile system to cost Canada US$61b but it’ll pay nothing if it joins the US
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US President Donald Trump has openly called for Canada to become the 51st state of the US.
PHOTO: REUTERS
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US President Donald Trump said Canada would need to pay US$61 billion (S$78.6 billion) to join the “Golden Dome” system
But he needled Ottawa by saying he would be willing to protect Canada for free if it opted to join the United States, his latest suggestion that the US’ northern neighbour would benefit from being absorbed by America.
“I told Canada, which very much wants to be part of our fabulous Golden Dome System, that it will cost US$61 billion if they remain a separate, but unequal, Nation, but will cost ZERO DOLLARS if they become our cherished 51st State,” Mr Trump said in a social media post on May 27. “They are considering the offer!”
Mr Trump last week detailed his ambitious effort to build a shield to protect the US from threats including ballistic missiles, hypersonics and advanced cruise missiles, saying that it would be fully operational by the end of his term.
The technology for his plan is unproven, particularly using space-based interceptors to knock down incoming ballistic missiles.
The President has said the project would cost US$175 billion overall, and Congress is seeking US$25 billion to begin work on the endeavour. The Congressional Budget Office, though, found the US may have to spend as much as US$542 billion over 20 years to fully develop and launch the space-based interceptors.
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney last week confirmed that Canada was considering joining the US on the project but declined to place a price tag on it and said their discussions were at an early stage.
The US and Canada have long had a close relationship, but those ties have been tested by Mr Trump, who has launched a trade war against and openly called for Canada to become the 51st US state.
Since the 1950s, Canada and the US have had a joint air defence system known as the North American Aerospace Defence Command, or Norad. In 2022, Canada unveiled a C$38.6 billion (S$36 billion) long-term plan to contribute to a modernised Norad. BLOOMBERG
