What If Trump is serious about annexing Canada?
What If Trump is serious about annexing Canada?
Don't expect Pete Hegseth to stand in his way.
Thus far, Trump has not raised the possibility of sending actual troops to Ontario. Instead, he seems to believe he can achieve this Canadian Anschluss by simply crushing Canada’s economy and leaving it no choice but to join the US.
But Canada in 2025 is not Austria in 1938. “Canada will never, ever be part of America,” declared newly elected Canadian Prime Minster Mark Carney last week, making the country’s position crystal clear. And, last month, the Canadian Armed Forces announced that after years of declining enrollment, it had seen a surge in enlistments since Trump took office, with about 1,000 more applicants than last year. (Canadian officials couldn’t attribute the new rash of interest to Trump’s threats, but they didn’t rule it out, either.)
Given that Canada will never voluntarily join the US—which it is adamant about—would Trump try to use force to annex it? And would Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth go along with this crazy plan?
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What do you mean "IF" ?? There is no IF He just hasn't figured out how to succeed and get away with it. As soon as he has the answer to that..........
I'd bet a significant enough chunk of the US military is against annexation and would resist orders to invade. Canada and US have basically been brothers in arms for 100+ years, thats a hard culture to throw away for no real threat. The average US infantry is not going to feel like they are fighting for freedom by annexing Canada.
As an American even I don't have that faith in our military to do the right thing.
There's a good chunk of them that are indoctrinated in MAGA philosophies, and they are trained to follow orders. More likely that the pushback would come from leadership, however I certainly would not want to test it.
No different than Canada's military forces. Since Trump was elected over 1000 people have volunteered, and I bet 10% are right wingnuts who'll be shooting at Canadians trying to defend the border.
These are weird as fuck times, no? It boggles my mind to be at odds with our allies. I've spent a lot of time in Canada working through the years and love it as a country. Breaks my heart tbh.
I fucking loathe everyone that enabled this shit to happen.
It has to be tested. This is war. Its a human duty beyond national pride.
In this situation, they would be court marshaled, so they have to follow orders here.
Since Vietnam, supposedly they have a duty to disobey illegal orders
But here’s the fun part, if the laws are rewritten, they are legal.
Not really, no. Plenty of laws are not just wrong but also illegal. This is the biggest issue with the current US administration: a flood of illegal actions but the people who need to say no do not have the moral fortitude or even self-preservation to do so. Hopefully our service men and women are more ethical than our congressmen
Just like they were "fighting for freedom" by invading Iraq, a country that didn't have shit to do with the 9/11 attack or anything else going on at home at the time? Even after it was known they lied about "weapons of mass destruction", people still signed up to be sent over there.
They just need to find the right kind of propaganda to justify going into Canada, and then the meatheads will follow.
Iraq wasn't their neighbor, the average american had rarely met or interacted with an Iraqi IRL or online. The same is not true for Canada. Our cultures and demographics are far more similar. It isn't impossible but the propaganda would have to be quite impressive to shift the overall attitude towards Canadians.
You underestimate the American thirst for violence, destruction, and war.
They will fuck with anything and anyone as long as they get that adrenaline and neuron boost.
Meh, we have WAY more people interested in staying home and jacking off than those who are blood thirsty for war.
And to add to this, once many service members got to know and bond with Iraqi local nationals, many of them formed friendships that we/they hold dear. Of my service member friends we all have fond memories with them. Of the ones I've met since being in, they all have fond memories too.
They don't even need that much propaganda. I remember soldiers pumping "Let the Bodies Hit the Floor" as a war anthem in Iraq. We have enough stupid shit in our "culture" to help justify it anyway. Just look at the pointless lyrics to that stupid fucking song that basically mean nothing yet somehow couldn't be more on the nose if it tried.
You wanted in and now you're here
Driven by hate, consumed by fearSounds like every idiot asshole that signed up to kill innocent Iraqis and yet they used it as a war anthem for... killing innocent Iraqis. Fuck me I hate living in this stupid ass country.
EDIT: Also check the YouTube comments for that fucking video, plenty of people still love it.
Iraq is a country far far away that most Americans have never visited. Plus Saddam was a real criminal who attacked his own people with chemical weapons. That makes it easy for an average American to believe the false claims.
Canada is right across the border. So many Americans have been there. many have wives and husbands from there. They are a democracy. no mass killing or genocides. Besides Trump is not even accusing them of anything. He just want to take it "for national security"
The two situations are not the same.
No genocides? Ummm.... I guess you could say that Canada has committed the same genocides as the usa.
To support your point since people don't want to do the research themselves.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canadian_genocide_of_Indigenous_peoples
Also let's not underestimate the US hate for French people, and there's enough people who speak French in Canada to "justify" it.
I think they meant no active genocides to justify military action right now. But yes, unfortunately Canada has a disgusting history of genocide and there are many still healing from those atrocities.
Canadians aren't all brown
Just the natives that immigrant Canadians did a genocide on? But I guess they don't count as "Canadian" to most people.
When someone says "Americans," what do you envision?
A bunch of bloodthirsty fucks who have marginalized native peoples so much that Native American women are the most trafficked group in the country? What's the point you're trying to make here?
Right, white people. That's my entire point.
Plenty of the US military seems to adore Trump whatever he proposes.
Canadian polls are rising too.
Don't discount the effect of propaganda, and of decision makers in Washington drinking some of their own kool-aid.
Do you have a link to the Canadian polls? I'm looking on my own but I'm an analyst by both trade and inclination and I'd like to see that data.
They won't have a source because it isn't true. We overwhelmingly reject any notion of joining the US, and that feeling has only hardened in the last few weeks. Trump — and the lack of anybody stopping him — have destroyed 100 years of friendship. https://angusreid.org/trump-tariffs-canada-retaliation-usa/
That is rapid.
It's what happens when a population has at least a moderate amount of critical thinking skills and awareness of current affairs.
Saw it here, as new as January: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Movements_for_the_annexation_of_Canada_to_the_United_States#Opinion_polling
Seems some newer polls may not follow this trend, thankfully: https://www.ctvnews.ca/canada/article/large-majority-of-canadians-reject-trumps-annexation-overtures-poll-suggests/
As for general American sentiment on Trump, I don't know if most Americans approve of annexation, but that may not matter if they approve in general: https://www.axios.com/2025/03/16/trump-high-dems-low-new-poll
September 6, 2003
Nearing the second anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, seven in 10 Americans continue to believe that Iraq's Saddam Hussein had a role in the attacks, even though the Bush administration and congressional investigators say they have no evidence of this.
Propaganda is a helluva drug.
To be clear, I support your assertion that people, even Canadians, can be convinced of such malarkey.
I'd argue they have a constitutional duty to refuse these orders and actually, to march on the President and Congress and put a stop to this. Their duty is FIRST and FOREMOST to the Constitution of the United States.
It would honestly take just a single brave "bodyguard" to end this all. Even if they are killed or jailed, it sure as shit beats having to die in combat while fighting an innocent neighbour because you followed orders from a clown.
On the upside, they'd be a global hero for preventing a needless war. No need to go back in time to drop an orange down a flight of stairs, either.
They've already been firing generals that won't toe the line. They're in the process of ridding the military of trans soldiers. Gay/Lesbian soldiers will probably be next, and I don't doubt there will soon be incentives to rat out any fellow soldiers who are suspected of not being "Loyal Americans".
The military will follow his orders.
The officers issue orders, and the officers mostly hate Trump. The enlisted people are far more pro-Trump than the people who issue orders. They take an oath to protect the people under their command AND an oath to protect the Constitution, and they take those oaths very seriously. They hate that Trump shits all over those people and shits all over the Constitution.
They will follow orders from Trump when there isn't much at stake or if they align with their mission of protecting the United States and its allies/interests. I think you would see mass resignations on the officer side of the military if they were commanded by Trump to attack Canada. They might not refuse to follow an order, but they might resign or force a reassignment to a post that is not involved with the attack on Canada.
I believe you think too highly of the moral strength of the officer core.
if there’s an officer that refuses a command from President Trump, they will be made an example of immediately court-martial, have their family harassed, Possibly having to retroactively pay back loans or any other beneficial arrangement that they have received as part of the officers station, have all of their benefits rescinded immediately, their names will be publicized. The Maga crew will descend on them and make their lives hell. Within a week no other officer will even think of refusing a command or order from the president.
I work daily sitting next to officers. I think I have a decent idea what they feel about how things are going and what they would do.
Fingers crossed...
90% the things Trump suggests are not something he actually does. The trouble is you're never sure which 10% are what he will do
He floods the zone with so much intentionally that it all looks like noise. Don't get twisted by it all. It's designed to make you numb and assume he is more powerful than he is. He's done that this term and he did it during his first term
Follow his direct actions more than his words. Based on actions, I'd actually be a bit more alarmed for Panama invasion than Canada right now. He directed military to create plans for that. Watch it more closely
Absolutely. “Flood the zone” is Bannon’s strategy, being employed again this term.
The thing is, if you don’t know what they might follow through with, you need to take it all seriously.
Or if you’re one of our allies, you have to take seriously what would directly affect you