Vance Calls Canada a State, Blames Freudian Slip

Vice President JD Vance called Canada "a state" at an Aug. 24 event in Maine, then said it was a "Freudian slip" — a remark that landed in the middle of a collapsed trade negotiation and a fresh round of American tariffs.

"We have to remember Canada is a state — sorry, Freudian slip," Vance said, to laughter from the crowd. "That was actually an accident."

He made the comment during a question-and-answer session after a speech at a manufacturing company in Brewer, Maine, according to the National Post. It came hours after President Donald Trump said tariffs on imported automobiles and auto parts from Canada would go to 50%, USA Today reported.

What Else Vance Said

Asked about the tariff negotiations, Vance said "Canada and China have been the two worst countries when it comes to trade policy anywhere in the world," per the National Post. He said he expected that from China, the United States' "biggest economic competitor," but not from Canada.

"They apply ridiculous tariffs and other non-tariff duties on Maine products coming into Canada, and they don't expect Maine or anybody else to fight back," he said. "We're sick of that. We are actually going to fight back against unfair trade practices, whether it's coming from China or Canada."

Vance also said Canada "would get invaded by a foreign country were it not for the protection provided" by the United States.

On dairy, he said a Canadian product entering Maine "probably" carries a zero percent tariff, while "if a Maine farmer sends dairy products into Canada, they could be paying as much as a 250 per cent tariff." The National Post noted that Canada's high dairy tariffs only apply once agreed tariff-rate quotas on U.S. imports under CUSMA are reached or exceeded, and cited a Global News report from last year that U.S. dairy imports to Canada had not yet exceeded those quotas — even as USDA data showed Canada was the second-highest importer of U.S. dairy products in 2025.

He closed with a message aimed at Prime Minister Mark Carney: "Stop taking advantage of the people of Maine. Stop taking advantage of America. It's over."