https://time.com/7280129/donald-trump-fact-check-2025-interview/
What Trump Said: “We lose $200 to $250 billion a year supporting Canada.”
The Facts: Trump has often made the claim that the U.S. is “subsidizing” Canada—it’s a key reason behind his desire to annex the country. In his interview with TIME, he mentioned Canadian cars, lumber, and energy, so it’s possible was referring to the U.S. trade deficit with Canada, which in 2024, amounted to $63 billion for goods.
But that number still is far short of $200 billion. In the interview, Trump also mentioned “taking care of their military.” Trump officials have often highlighted military spending as part of the $200 billion. The Department of Defense requested a budget of $849 billion for the 2025 fiscal year—though the request does not break down spending by region. In March, a White House official pointed The Washington Post towards North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD), a shared air defense program between the two countries. The U.S. is responsible for 60% of the cost of the radar system—though the system costs just $20 billion, an expert told the Post.
Since the 1960's at least, the US has been Canada's de facto army. Canada has not had an effective army, navy or air force since then. So yes, the US has spent a great deal of money securing Canada's borders from Russian and now Chinese encroachments. And while the US may just pay 60% of NORAD's cost, if there is ever an attemped invasion of Canada that forces NORAD to respond, they will bear the 100% of the cost because Canada won't be able to do anything.
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