U.S. President Donald Trump is joined by Republican lawmakers, from left, Sen. Ashley Moody, R-Fla., with her son Connor; Rep. Gary Palmer, R-Ala.; Rep. Brian Jack, R-Ga.; Rep. Stephanie Bice, R-Ga.; and Rep. Craig Goldman, R-Texas, as Trump signed congressional resolutions into law in the Oval Office at the White House on May 9, 2025, in Washington, D.C. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images/TNS)
WASHINGTON (Tribune News Service) — President Donald Trump said Canada would need to pay $61 billion to join the “Golden Dome” system he’s proposed to boost missile defense with space-based interceptors.
But the president needled Ottawa by saying he would be willing to protect Canada for free if the nation opted to join the United States, his latest suggestion that the northern neighbor would benefit from being absorbed by the U.S.
“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 said in a social media post on Tuesday. “They are considering the offer!”
Trump last week detailed his ambitious effort to build a shield to protect the U.S. from threats including ballistic missiles, hypersonic and advanced cruise missiles, saying that it would be fully operational by the end of his term. The technology for Trump’s plan is unproven, particularly using space-based interceptors to knock down incoming ballistic missiles.
The president has said the project would cost $175 billion overall, and Congress is seeking $25 billion to begin work on the endeavor. The Congressional Budget Office, though, found the U.S. may have to spend as much as $542 billion over 20 years to fully develop and launch the space-based interceptors.
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney last week confirmed that Canada was considering joining the U.S. on the project but declined to place a price tag on it and said their discussions were at an early stage.
The U.S. and Canada have long had a close relationship, but those ties have been tested by Trump who has launched a trade war against and openly called for the nation to become the 51st U.S. state.
Since the 1950s, Canada and the U.S. have had a joint air defense system known as the North American Aerospace Defense Command, or Norad. In 2022, Canada unveiled a C$38.6 billion ($28 billion) long-term plan to contribute to a modernized Norad.
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