Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau told a business gathering on Friday that US President Donald Trump’s threat to annex Canada “is a real thing,” two Canadian business leaders who were at the meeting confirmed to CNN.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, in a talk with business leaders, said Canada’s wealth of critical minerals are behind Mr. Trump’s comments about making its northern neighbor a U.S. state.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says President Donald Trump’s talk of making Canada the 51st state is “a real thing” and is linked to the country’s rich natural resources.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau will host a Canada-U.S. economic summit in Toronto on Friday, days after President Donald Trump said he would hold off on deploying his threatened tariffs against Canada for a month.

Defence Minister Bill Blair says U.S. President Donald Trump's talk of annexing Canada is not a "real threat."

President Trump said Thursday that Canada is a “serious contender” to become the 51st state, alleging that America’s neighbor to the north needs US “protection.” Trump, 78, has repeatedly floated the idea of Canada joining the Union — even mockingly referring to outgoing Prime Minister Justin Trudeau as “governor” — and revisited the topic while signing a memorandum ordering reciprocal tariffs on countries around the world.