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The American coach of the Canadian men\u2019s national soccer team blasted President Donald Trump on Wednesday amid icy geopolitical tensions between the neighbors. The fiery rhetoric comes just as the U.S., Canada, and Mexico prepare to co-host the World Cup<\/a> in 2026, with Trump\u2019s threat of tariffs on both nations looming.\u00a0<\/p>\n Since winning the presidential election in November, Trump has repeatedly stated that Canada should become America\u2019s 51st state<\/a>, a thought that doesn\u2019t sit well with Canada\u2019s Wisconsin-born soccer coach Jesse Marsch.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019d like to address the 51st state discourse, which I find unsettling and frankly insulting,\u201d said Marsch while speaking to the press in Los Angeles this week. \u201cIf I have one message to our president, it\u2019s lay off the ridiculous rhetoric about Canada being the 51st state.\u201d <\/p>\n \u201cAs an American, I\u2019m ashamed of the arrogance and disregard that we\u2019ve shown one of our historically oldest, strongest and most loyal allies,\u201d said Marsch.<\/p>\n The Racine native and former U.S. men\u2019s national team player compared the politics of his home nation to that of the country he\u2019s now coaching.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cCanada is a strong, independent nation that\u2019s deep-rooted in decency,\u201d said Marsch, who at one time was touted to take over the U.S. men\u2019s soccer team. \u201cIt\u2019s a place that values high ethics and respect, unlike the polarized, disrespectful and often now hate-fueled climate that\u2019s in the U.S.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n Trump reiterated his desire for the United States to absorb Canada at the first C<\/a>abinet meeting<\/a>\u00a0of his second term on Wednesday.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cI say Canada should be our 51st state. It\u2019s not fair for us to be supporting Canada, and if we don\u2019t support them, they don\u2019t subsist as a nation,\u201d Trump said, flanked by his Cabinet appointees and special government employee Elon Musk.\u00a0<\/p>\n On Thursday morning, Trump blasted Canada and Mexico, writing on his Truth Social social media platform<\/a>: \u201cDrugs are still pouring into our Country from Mexico and Canada at very high and unacceptable levels.”<\/p>\n While U.S. Customs officials intercepted 20,000 pounds of fentanyl at the Mexican border in 2024, only 43 pounds of fentanyl were intercepted at the Canadian border last year, according to an NBC News analysis of U.S. Customs and Border Protection data<\/a>.<\/p>\n Trump also said in his post that tariffs on Canada and Mexico would go into effect on Tuesday “as scheduled.”<\/p>\n During his Cabinet meeting, Trump outlined the crippling effects his tariffs will have on Canada. \u201cThe tariffs will make it impossible for them to sell cars into the United States. The tariffs will make it impossible for them to sell lumber or anything else into the United States,\u201d he said.\u00a0<\/p>\n Since Trump\u2019s pugilistic tone toward Canada has taken shape, the tension between the longtime allies has boiled over into the world of sports. Canadian fans have booed the American national anthem before NBA and NHL games, including on Feb. 15 when the U.S. and Canada\u2019s hockey teams faced off in Montreal, where three fights broke out in the first nine seconds.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cThese international tournaments for Canada means something different now,\u201d acknowledged Marsch.\u00a0<\/p>\n The most highly watched international tournament in all of sports is just over a year and a half away. The World Cup could see the host nations play each other in the knockout rounds amid the backdrop of unprecedented geopolitical dynamics.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/div>\n