Trudeau One-Liner After ‘America’s 51st State’ Defeats US Hockey Team in OT Backfires Spectacularly
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau sparked controversy with a pointed message to President Donald Trump following Canada’s overtime victory against the United States in the 4 Nations Face-Off hockey tournament.
The heightening tensions between the two nations manifested on the ice in Boston Thursday night, where Connor McDavid’s overtime goal set the stage for Trudeau’s provocative tweet: “You can’t take our country and you can’t take our game,” posted in both English and Quebecois French.
The statement drew immediate backlash on social media, with critics accusing the Prime Minister of using sports to deflect from domestic issues.
One X user responded to Trudeau by saying, “You talk a lot of sh*t for someone with no nukes,” while another wrote, “But we can take our money that subsidizes your country. Pay your own bills and not on my dime.”
A third user responded, saying, “I would think you would respect your ally the U.S. by securing the northern border and clamping down on fentanyl going into the U.S.”
The social media confrontation follows Trump’s recent aggressive stance toward Canada, including threats of annexation and his repeated reference to Trudeau as “Governor.”
These diplomatic frictions have spilled over into sports venues, with Canadian fans booing the American national anthem at NHL and NBA games, while American fans retaliated by jeering during “O Canada” at the tournament final in Boston.
The anthem controversy reached a new peak when Canadian singer Chantal Kreviazuk deliberately altered the lyrics of “O Canada” during her performance, changing “in all of us command” to “in only us command.”
A representative for Kreviazuk confirmed to CBC that the modification was an intentional protest against Trump.
The performance drew mixed reactions, with some viewers criticizing it as the “worst” rendition ever, while others missed the intentional modification entirely.
American players offered varied responses to the anthem protests, the Daily Mail outlined.
Florida Panthers forward Matthew Tkachuk expressed clear disapproval, stating simply, “I didn’t like it. That’s all I got.” However, New York Rangers forward JT Miller took a different view: “I think we like it. Not politically, but maybe just as a sense of, we know where we’re at in Canada and I think that fires us up more than anything.”
Minnesota Wild defenseman Brock Faber attempted to maintain focus on the sport itself, saying, “Everyone has their own views on things. I’m honored to wear the red, white and blue. For us, we’re just focused on winning games.”
“Obviously, the fans here are going to be against us. And, you know, it’s going to be the same thing when it’s USA-Canada, or whoever, USA-Sweden back home in Boston, right?”
The sports tension mirrors growing economic strains between the two nations.
Trump recently signed an executive order implementing a 25 percent tariff on Canadian and Mexican imports, set to take effect March 4.
The president has also made provocative statements about Canada’s economic relationship with the United States, suggesting that Canada would be “better off being the 51st state” and claiming America loses “$200 billion a year to Canada.”
Before the game, Trump contacted the American team with words of encouragement: “I just want to wish you a lot of luck. You really are a skilled group of people.”
“It’s an honor to talk to you… We love you guys. We’ll be watching tonight. Bring it home.”
The 4 Nations Face-Off, featuring teams from the USA, Canada, Sweden and Finland, serves as a preparatory tournament before NHL players return to Olympic competition.
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