'Too big to handle': Trump warns Canada as he claims 'liberal takeover' is underway

WASHINGTON, DC: President Donald Trump escalated his pressure on Canada beyond trade on Wednesday, September 23, warning that immigration into the country will soon be “too big to handle.”

Trump claimed that millions of people are entering Canada “essentially unchecked and unvetted,” linking the issue to unemployment and what he called a “Liberal takeover.”

The president made the remarks in a Truth Social post as his broader dispute with Canada has included tariffs and sharp criticism of its government.

Trump warns of immigration problem in Canada

“Canada is destroying itself by allowing millions and millions of people into the Country, essentially unchecked and unvetted,” Trump wrote. 

He added that those entering the country are “causing problems that will soon be too big to handle.”

Trump also described the situation as “a Liberal takeover that will end very badly” and said the effects were "already showing up in their numbers," pointing to "big unemployment."

The post added immigration to the president’s continuing criticism of Canada over trade. 

Trump has previously described Canada as “one of the worst countries in the world to deal with” and accused it of taking advantage of the United States.

“They take advantage of us as though they were a state, and they're not a state,” Trump said during a radio interview with conservative host Glenn Beck on August 26.

Trump's Canada dispute has centered on trade

The immigration comments came as the US-Canada trade dispute continued after negotiations between the two countries broke down.

A fresh round of 50% US tariffs on some Canadian goods took effect on August 23, prompting Canada to retaliate with tariffs of its own. 

Trump said during the August 26 interview that it was time to “teach Canada you can’t do this anymore.”

Trump also said he had reached what he considered a “pretty good deal” with Canada before the agreement fell apart near the deadline.

His comments about the breakdown have differed from those of Vice President JD Vance.

Vance blamed Canada for the collapse of the talks, saying during an August 24 campaign stop in Maine that Canadian officials had made “unreasonable last-minute demands.”

Trump later appeared to acknowledge Canada’s account of the negotiations during a CNN call, saying its claim that the US added conditions in the final hours “sounds like” him. 

He also said that he didn’t “deny anything” when asked whether he rejected Canada’s version.

JD Vance and Trump take more jabs at Canada

Vance separately defended the trade war during his Maine appearance, telling the audience, “Stop taking advantage of the people of Maine. Stop taking advantage of America. It’s over, we expect fairness in our trade policy.”

During those remarks, Vance referred to Canada as a state before correcting himself. “Canada is a state … Freudian slip. That was actually an accident, an accident,” he said.

Trump also signed an August 27 executive order renaming Lake Ontario as “Lake America.”