U.S. President-elect Donald Trump’s comments that Canada should become the 51st state are no longer a joke and are meant to undermine America’s closest ally, Canada’s finance minister said Wednesday.

In response, Justin Trudeau, who is reportedly stepping down as Canada's prime minister, recently wrote on X: "There isn't a snowball's chance in hell that Canada would become part of the United States." Trump-ally Elon Musk then responded: "Girl, you're not the governor of Canada anymore, so doesn't matter what you say."

Donald Trump’s imperialist designs on Greenland, Canada and Panama often sound like the ramblings of a chaos agent who views geopolitics and global trade like a real estate shark chasing new leads.

Surveys show most Canadians prefer staying separate, though some see potential power in a merger. What would it look like if Canada joined the U.S.?

Canada Prime Minister Justin Trudeau responded to Trump’s pitch of merging with its northern neighbor on CNN’s “The Lead with Jake Tapper.” Trump has repeatedly trolled Trudeau in recent weeks and keeps pushing the idea of making Canada the 51st state of the U.