'What president ever talks like that?' Biden slams Trump talk of annexing allies like Canada

Chris Iorfida · CBC News

· Posted: May 07, 2025 11:36 AM EDT | Last Updated: 2 minutes ago

Joe Biden expressed dismay successful his archetypal post-presidential interrogation implicit his successor Donald Trump's statements astir acquiring Greenland and the Panama Canal, and of Canada becoming the 51st U.S. state.

Biden told BBC Radio 4's Today program in remarks that aired Wednesday that those Trump threats, on with his administration's diplomatic efforts to assistance extremity the Russia-Ukraine war, person bred distrust of the United States.

"What president ever talks similar that?" the longtime Democrat said. "That's not who we are. We're astir freedom, democracy, accidental — not astir confiscation."

Biden defeated Trump successful the 2020 election. Concerns astir Biden's quality to grip different 4 years successful bureau became manifest aft a disastrous statement show successful June 2024. Weeks later, Biden announced helium would bow retired of the race, with his vice-president Kamala Harris subsequently incapable to decision Trump.

Biden has returned to the nationalist oculus aft leaving the White House successful January, making his archetypal code past period successful Chicago, wherever helium lamented a Trump medication that had already "done truthful overmuch harm and truthful overmuch destruction."

LISTEN l Aaron Wherry of CBC's parliamentary bureau connected Trump-Carney meeting:

'No amended partner': Biden successful Ottawa successful 2023

In 2023, Biden made the archetypal U.S. statesmanlike sojourn to Ottawa successful 7 years.

"The United States chooses to nexus our aboriginal with Canada, due to the fact that we cognize that we'll find nary amended spouse — and I mean this from the bottommost of my bosom — nary much reliable ally, nary much dependable friend," helium said astatine the time.

Trump has ne'er travel to Canada arsenic president and has often derided erstwhile premier curate Justin Trudeau, and occasionally, without referring to her by name, longtime furniture subordinate Chrystia Freeland. Trump slammed some again connected Tuesday, erstwhile recently elected Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney paid his archetypal sojourn to the White House.

Freeland was integral successful hammering retired with American and Mexican counterparts an update to the North American Free Trade Agreement of decades earlier.

Like Trudeau and then-president Enrique Peña Nieto of Mexico, Trump officially signed disconnected connected that pact successful 2018, and implicit a twelvemonth later, the U.S. president was inactive characterizing it arsenic "the fairest, astir balanced, and beneficial commercialized statement we person ever signed into law."

As his governmental comeback picked up steam, and particularly since his November re-election, Trump has assailed the statement and complained that Canada is "ripping america off," suggesting that the U.S. doesn't request Canadian goods oregon resources.

Trump has accused Canada of freeloading disconnected of the important subject extortion and instrumentality the U.S. provides, though the president has besides offered up a fig of dubious statistic regarding commercialized deficits betwixt the countries.

He besides assailed the travel of fentanyl into the U.S. via Canada, though each disposable numbers bespeak the travel of fentanyl, arsenic good arsenic weapons, is greater successful the other direction.

Trump has threatened to use assorted tariffs connected Canadian goods and services, which has sparked nationalist sentiment northbound of the U.S. borderline and boycotts of immoderate American products.

Periodic surveys dating backmost astatine slightest 60 years person evinced debased levels of involvement among Canadians successful becoming portion of the U.S. 

When asked Tuesday if helium would respect the volition of Canadians, Trump seemed to suggest that it could alteration "over a play of time." Carney rapidly responded that "Canadians' presumption connected this is not going to change."

WATCH l Recapping the archetypal gathering betwixt Trump, Carney:

At different point, Trump said "never accidental never," implicit the imaginable of Canada becoming a state.

The Trump medication has not explained wherefore Canada would beryllium a 51st state, fixed that surveys person consistently shown that a bulk of Puerto Ricans — who are American citizens — would favour statehood implicit the existent presumption arsenic a U.S. territory. Even greater numbers of District of Columbia residents, surveys person consistently shown, would similar D.C. to go a state.

Slams Trump 'appeasement' of Russia

Elsewhere successful the interview, Biden said the Trump administration's unit connected Ukraine to springiness up territory to Russia amounts to " modern-day appeasement."

Trump has said that Crimea, a strategical peninsula on the Black Sea successful confederate Ukraine that was illegally annexed by Russia successful 2014, "will enactment with Russia."

Early successful his presidency, Trump ordered a intermission successful American assistance to Ukraine — past resumed it. Last week, the 2 countries signed an statement granting American entree successful an concern money to Ukraine's immense mineral resources, though immoderate payoff would beryllium acold disconnected the horizon, arsenic the Eastern European country, successful summation to being nether attack, has nary commercially operational uncommon world mines astatine present.

Trump and his Vice-President J.D. Vance astatine times publically berated Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy implicit a perceived deficiency of gratitude successful an Oval Office successful February, a show Biden described arsenic "beneath America."

The heated confrontation followed comments by some Vance and Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth successful Europe that had leaders determination questioning Washington's committedness to the defence of the continent.

"I don't recognize however they neglect to recognize that there's spot successful alliances," Biden said of the Trump administration.

In arguably his administration's top overseas argumentation accomplishment, Biden was capable to pb a multilateral effect of European nations and Canada to Russia's penetration of Ukraine successful February 2022. It has been estimated the Biden medication provided Ukraine astir $500 cardinal US successful subject aid, on with billions successful humanitarian assistance.

Biden did person immoderate disapproval from members of Congress from some governmental parties for delays successful providing Ukraine with definite weapons systems, and it was reported that the medication balked astatine allowing Ukraine to onslaught targets wrong Russia with American missiles, earlier moving disconnected that stance precocious past year.