Fact check: What were Trump's exact words about Canada during his presidency?

1. Summary of the results

Based on the analyses provided, Trump made several specific statements about Canada during his presidency, primarily focused on trade disputes and Canada's digital services tax on technology companies.

Trump's exact documented words about Canada include:

• "Based on this egregious Tax, we are hereby terminating ALL discussions on Trade with Canada, effective immediately" ^{[1] [2]}
• "Canada's levy on tech firms is a direct and blatant attack on our Country" ^{[1] [2]}
• "Economically we have such power over Canada. We'd rather not use it" ^{[2] [3]}
• "We will let Canada know the Tariff that they will be paying to do business with the United States of America within the next seven day period" ^[4]
• "I'd rather not use it, but they did something with our tech companies … We have all the cards" ^[3]

Trump also characterized Canada as "a very difficult country to trade with" ^[1] and threatened to use "economic force" to make Canada the 51st state ^[3].

2. Missing context/alternative viewpoints

The analyses reveal important context missing from the original question:

• Canada's retaliation measures: Canada responded to Trump's trade termination by imposing a quota on some steel imports and a 50% surcharge for imports that exceed the quota ^[1]
• The specific trigger: Trump's statements were specifically prompted by Canada's 3% digital services tax on technology companies ^[4], which he repeatedly called "egregious"
• Canada's eventual response: Canada ultimately dropped the digital tax that angered Trump to resume US trade talks ^[5], suggesting the economic pressure was effective
• Power dynamics: Trump's statements reveal his view of the asymmetrical economic relationship between the US and Canada, with Trump believing the US held "all the cards" in negotiations ^[3]

Beneficiaries of different narratives:

• US technology companies would benefit from Trump's aggressive stance against Canada's digital tax
• Canadian government officials might benefit from portraying their eventual capitulation as diplomatic rather than economic coercion
• Trade hawks in the US would benefit from Trump's tough rhetoric demonstrating American economic dominance

3. Potential misinformation/bias in the original statement

The original question appears neutral and factual in seeking Trump's exact words about Canada. However, it lacks temporal specificity - the analyses suggest these statements occurred during recent trade disputes over digital taxation rather than spanning his entire presidency broadly.

The question could be more precise by specifying the timeframe or context (trade disputes, NAFTA renegotiation, etc.), as Trump likely made numerous statements about Canada across different issues during his presidency. The analyses focus specifically on trade-related statements during digital tax disputes, which may not represent the full scope of Trump's comments about Canada during his time in office.