U.S. President Donald Trump is wishing the American hockey team luck against Canada at the 4 Nations final tonight, while throwing another jab at Canada by calling it the 51st state once again.
On Thursday, The U.S. hockey team posted on X that they received a call from Trump wishing them luck. The call came after Trump said on Truth Social that he would call the team to “spur them on towards victory tonight against Canada.”
Team USA received a call from the President this morning to wish them luck ahead of tonight’s #4Nations championship game. pic.twitter.com/he1kIgUVGW
— USA Hockey (@usahockey) February 20, 2025
He added that he hopes Canada “someday, maybe soon, become our cherished, and very important, Fifty First State.”
The president said in the post that if Canada becomes the 51st state, there will be “far lower taxes and much stronger security.”
Trump will not be attending tonight’s game because he says he will be speaking in front of Governors tonight.
The first match-up between Canada and the U.S. in the tournament started rocky, with Canadian fans erupting in boos as the American anthem was being performed. The game then resulted in three fights happening within the first nine seconds of playtime.
This tension between the two countries comes amid Trump’s tariff threat directed at Canada, with 25 per cent tariffs on Canadian imports and on aluminum and steel set to begin next month.
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Canadians have begun booing the U.S. national anthem ahead of NBA and NHL games, and prioritizing Canadian made products over American ones.
Meanwhile, hockey fans have been reacting online to the anticipated game tonight, with many showing excitement for the face-off.
“This might be one of the peak moments of this rivalry in a lot of people’s lifetimes tbh. It may not be over Olympic gold but given the current political landscape the rivalry is red hot and the first best on best hockey in a good while… We’re in for a banger of a game Thursday folks 🔥,” a user on Reddit said.
“The best possible outcome for this tournament. We are in for a treat,” another user commented.
“If Canada wins the hockey I am going to bring up the tariffs stuff when I chirp people in the replies. If Canada loses I will become stronger from the resilience I am forced to develop,” one X user said.
The game is tonight in Boston, Massachusetts at 8 p.m. EST.
