Trump announced his latest offer to Canada on Truth Social, writing, "I told Canada, which very much wants to be part of our fabulous Golden Dome System, that it will cost $61 Billion Dollars if they remain a separate, but unequal, Nation, but will cost ZERO DOLLARS if they become our cherished 51st State." "They are considering the offer!" he added. Trump announced his administration's preferred concept for the Golden Dome missile defense program—a sprawling $175 billion initiative that would mark the first time the United States deploys weapons in space—last week. Speaking from the Oval Office, Trump told reporters he expects the system to be "fully operational before the end of my term," which ends in 2029. He also claimed the defense system would be able to intercept missiles "even if they are launched from space."

President Donald Trump said Tuesday that Canada was considering his offer to be part of his planned Golden Dome missile defense project. Trump said if Canada remains a standalone nation, it will have to come up with $61 billion to get protection from a space-based missile defense system that the U.S. military has yet to build. "I told Canada, which very much wants to be part of our fabulous Golden Dome System, that it will cost $61 Billion Dollars if they remain a separate, but unequal, Nation, but will cost ZERO DOLLARS if they become our cherished 51st State. They are considering the offer!," the president wrote in a social media post.

President Donald Trump said Tuesday that Canada was “considering” becoming the 51st state in exchange for free participation in his Golden Dome missile defense program. Trump, who announced last week that his administration had developed a draft architecture for the Golden Dome project, said Canada would have to pay around $61 billion to join the program but not become a state. While Trump has frequently suggested that Canada could become a state, Canadian leaders have consistently rejected the idea. “I told Canada, which very much wants to be part of our fabulous Golden Dome System, that it will cost $61 Billion Dollars if they remain a separate, but unequal, Nation, but will cost ZERO DOLLARS if they become our cherished 51st State,” Trump posted on Truth Social. “They are considering the offer!”