Canada’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau mocked President Donald Trump on social media shortly after the Canadian hockey team defeated the U.S. team 3-2 in the finals of the NHL’s Four Nations Face-Off on Friday after Trump repeated taunts calling for Canada to become the 51st U.S. state in the build-up to the game.
Sam Reinhart of Team Canada hoists the 4 Nations Face-Off Trophy after their 3-2 overtime win in the ... [+]
Shortly after the Canadian team scored the game-winning goal in overtime, Trudeau wrote on X, “You can’t take our country — and you can’t take our game.”
Trudeau’s sentiment was also echoed by his political rival and opposition leader Pierre Poilievre, who tweeted “Canada’s game. Canada’s legacy. The true North, strong, free and golden.”
The highly anticipated final took place amid growing tensions between Canada and the U.S. over Trump’s economic threats that include a 25% tariff against the neighboring country.
Just before the game Canadian national anthem was booed by fans in Boston’s TD Arena, in an apparent response to the “Star Spangled Banner” being booed in various arenas in Canada over the past month.
Canadian singer Chantal Kreviazuk, who performed her country’s anthem in Boston ahead of the game, tweaked the lyrics slightly to change the phrase “in all of us command” to “that only us command,” in protest against Trump’s remarks about making Canada the 51st U.S. state.
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Ahead of Thursday night’s finals, Trump repeated his threat to make Canada the 51st U.S. state. In a post on his Truth Social platform, the president wrote he’ll call the American team to “spur them on towards victory tonight against Canada.” Trump then said he hopes that Canada will “someday, maybe soon, become our cherished, and very important, Fifty First State” with “FAR LOWER TAXES AND MUCH STRONGER SECURITY.” The president also continued to mock the Canadian prime minister by calling him “Governor Trudeau” once again and saying he’s welcome to join an address Trump will be giving U.S. governors in Washington D.C. on Thursday.