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Australia says it could follow Canada in forging deeper ties with EU

254 points · 216 comments · doener

  1. whatsThisBtn4 · · focus · HN ↗

    [dead]

    1. xethos · · focus · HN ↗
      > Gosh if Kamala was elected, there'd still be a war in Iran, but we'd pretend it's different. Obama bombed Syria and no one cared.

      Are we really going to pretend the 51st state rhetoric would be the same with any Democrat in the White House?

      > Do we hate giving the uneducated masses a vote?

      No, I but I do think they've had some dogshit candidates picked for them, especially recently

      1. YZF · · focus · HN ↗
        The rhetoric was trolling. It's sad that a childish troll is president but let's call this what it was. Trump trolling Trudeau. Certainly riled everyone up, changed the Canadian elections results, etc. Doesn't seem to matter if it's uneducated masses or educated masses, the intelligence of the masses seems to be a minimum function at best.

        But yeah the quality of people in politics is terrible. I thought very highly of Obama in terms of intellect, honesty, pragmatism, etc. Postcard leader. but he seemingly still managed to mess lots of things up. Or maybe we over-estimate the impact this one person on the top actually has on anything.

        1. bawolff · · focus · HN ↗
          The rhetoric was backed by action. That is what makes it different than trolling

          Not to mention Trudeau has been gone for a while now, so I dont know how that is relavent.

          1. YZF · · focus · HN ↗
            That's how it started. I don't recall any actions that went along with that initial trolling but it's possible that I have the wrong sequence of events.

            "Donald Trump’s comments about Canada becoming the 51st state began on November 29, 2024, during a three-hour dinner with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau at Trump's Mar-a-Lago estate. During the Thanksgiving weekend meeting, Trump reportedly joked that if Canada couldn't handle the economic impact of his proposed 25% tariffs, the country should simply become the 51st state, with Trudeau acting as governor.

            While Canadian officials present, such as Public Safety Minister Dominic LeBlanc, initially downplayed the remark as lighthearted teasing, Trump continued to lean into the rhetoric publicly. By February 2, 2025, Trump was referring to Canada as America's "Cherished 51st state".

            The actions were generally tariffs with the initial excuse being Fentanyl and border security when Trump took office.

            And yes, Trudeau has been gone for a while but this is how this started.

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