Donald Trump Says ‘Friend’ Wayne Gretzky Wants Canada To Stay Independent
Adedokun Waliyu
2 min read
U.S. President Donald Trump says Wayne Gretzky would prefer Canada remain independent amidst Trump’s ongoing rhetoric of the country becoming the 51st U.S. state.
Trump posted on the social media platform Truth Social on Wednesday evening, indicating that he greatly respects the Canadian hockey legend and that “he wants to make me happy, and is therefore somewhat ‘low key’ about Canada remaining a separate Country.”
“Rather than becoming a cherished and beautiful 51st State, paying much Lower Taxes, a Free and Powerful Military, NO TARIFFS, and having a Booming Economy,” Trump’s post read.
“Wayne and Janet, his wonderful wife, love Canada, and they should only support Canada, and whatever else makes the Canadian People, and Governor Justin Trudeau, happy. He’s the Greatest Canadian of them all, and I am therefore making him a ‘free agent’ because I don’t want anyone in Canada to say anything bad about him.”
Gretzky recently came under fire over his political affiliations as tensions between Canada and the U.S. fester. Gretzky and his wife Janet attended Trump’s inauguration in January, and he has been photographed with Trump several times at the president’s Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida.
Gretzky was also photographed wearing a Make America Great Again hat at Trump’s election victory party.
Known as “The Great One,” Gretzky is widely considered the greatest hockey player ever.
Frustration among Canadians heightened during the 4 Nations final in Boston, where Gretzky was in attendance and later booed by a selection of Canadian hockey fans. Canada would go on to win the game 3-2 courtesy of Connor McDavid’s overtime goal.
The sentiment from Canadians was recently exemplified by a petition to remove Gretzky’s name from an Edmonton highway.
“[Gretzky] supports Canada the way it is, as he should, even though it’s not nearly as good as it could be as part of the Greatest and Most Powerful Country in the World, the Good Ole’ U.S.A.!” Trump’s post concluded.
Trump has repeatedly expressed a desire to make Canada the “51st state” of the U.S., prompting mass criticism from politicians and residents north of the border.
On Wednesday, Trump said again that he plans to hit Canada and Mexico with devastating duties — but a White House official confirmed on background that the tariff plans could change through negotiations.
He signed an executive order to implement “reciprocal tariffs” by raising U.S. duties to match the tax rates other countries charge on imports starting April 2. He ordered 25 per cent tariffs on all steel and aluminum imports into the United States on March 12.
