The American coach of the Canadian men’s 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 in 2026, with Trump’s threat of tariffs on both nations looming.
Since winning the presidential election in November, Trump has repeatedly stated that Canada should become America’s 51st state, a thought that doesn’t sit well with Canada’s Wisconsin-born soccer coach Jesse Marsch.
“I’d like to address the 51st state discourse, which I find unsettling and frankly insulting,” said Marsch while speaking to the press in Los Angeles this week. “If I have one message to our president, it’s lay off the ridiculous rhetoric about Canada being the 51st state.”
“As an American, I’m ashamed of the arrogance and disregard that we’ve shown one of our historically oldest, strongest and most loyal allies,” said Marsch.
The Racine native and former U.S. men’s national team player compared the politics of his home nation to that of the country he’s now coaching.
“Canada is a strong, independent nation that’s deep-rooted in decency,” said Marsch, who at one time was touted to take over the U.S. men’s soccer team. “It’s a place that values high ethics and respect, unlike the polarized, disrespectful and often now hate-fueled climate that’s in the U.S.”
Trump reiterated his desire for the United States to absorb Canada at the first Cabinet meeting of his second term on Wednesday.
“I say Canada should be our 51st state. It’s not fair for us to be supporting Canada, and if we don’t support them, they don’t subsist as a nation,” Trump said, flanked by his Cabinet appointees and special government employee Elon Musk.
On Thursday morning, Trump blasted Canada and Mexico, writing on his Truth Social social media platform: “Drugs are still pouring into our Country from Mexico and Canada at very high and unacceptable levels."
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.
Trump also said in his post that tariffs on Canada and Mexico would go into effect on Tuesday "as scheduled."
During his Cabinet meeting, Trump outlined the crippling effects his tariffs will have on Canada. “The 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,” he said.
Since Trump’s 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’s hockey teams faced off in Montreal, where three fights broke out in the first nine seconds.
“These international tournaments for Canada means something different now,” acknowledged Marsch.
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.
