Do Canadians feel welcome in the US? What a poll found after Trump comments

Brendan Rascius, The Charlotte Observer on May 12, 2025

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Most Canadians now feel unwanted and unsafe in the United States, according to new polling, which comes after President Donald Trump repeatedly threatened to annex the country.

In a May 1-3 Leger Marketing survey of 1,626 Canadians, 54% of respondents agreed with the statement “I no longer feel welcome in the United States.” Just 27% disagreed, and 19% said they didn’t know.

Older Canadians were the most likely to feel unwanted south of the border, with 60% of those 55 and older saying they don’t feel welcome. Fifty-two percent of 35- to-54-year-olds and 48% of 18- to 34-year-olds said the same.

A majority of respondents, 52%, also said they agreed with the statement “It is no longer safe for all Canadians traveling to the United States.” A much smaller share, 29%, said they disagreed, and 19% said they didn’t know.

Again, older respondents were most likely to agree, with 59% of those 55 and older saying travel in the U.S. is no longer safe, while 47% of 35- to 54-year-olds and 18- to 34-year-olds said the same.

These concerns may be having real-life impacts. Official government statistics indicate Canadian return trips back from the U.S. via land dropped 35% in April year over year, according to CBC.

Additionally, the poll, which has a margin of error of 2.5 percentage points, asked respondents whether the boundary between the U.S. and Canada “was drawn artificially” — as Trump has claimed.

A plurality, 47%, said it was not, while 23% said it was and 30% said they didn’t know.

The poll was released amid heightened tensions between the U.S. and Canada, sparked by Trump’s comments about taking over the country. He has made similar comments about other places, including Greenland and the Panama Canal.

On numerous occasions, the U.S. president has said he wants to turn Canada — a long-time ally and key trading partner — into “the 51st state.”

“Canada only works as a state,” he said at the White House in March. “We don’t need anything they have. As a state it would be one of the great states. This would be the most incredible country visually. If you look at a map, they drew an artificial line right through it.”

In response to these comments, newly elected Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, during a May 6 meeting with Trump, said, “There are some places that are never for sale ... it’s not for sale. It won’t be for sale, ever.”

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