A senior White House official has suggested removing Canada from the Five Eyes intelligence-sharing alliance as Donald Trump intensifies pressure on the country, which he has joked about making the 51st US state, an exclusive report by Financial Times said.
Peter Navarro, a key adviser to the US president, is advocating for Canada’s exclusion from the group, which also includes the UK, Australia, and New Zealand, the report quoted sources familiar with his efforts within the administration.
It remains uncertain whether Trump supports the idea, but it is currently being debated among his officials, the report asserted.
But it sits well with the recent utterances by US President Trump, who recently claimed to annex Canada and remain “committed” to imposing 25 per cent tariffs on Canadian imports once a temporary reprieve expires on March 4.
Canada’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, set to leave office on March 9, was recently caught on an open mic cautioning that Trump’s plan to integrate the US’s northern neighbour was “a real thing.”
