OTTAWA — U.S. president-elect Donald Trump said he told hockey legend Wayne Gretzky he should run for prime minister during a Christmas visit but added that the athlete declined interest in politics.
Trump said on his Truth Social platform that he told Gretzky he would easily win an election if he ran for prime minister of Canada.
Trump added that the role would soon be the “governor” of Canada when the country becomes a U.S. state, a repeated comment that Ottawa insists is a joke.
The president-elect said Gretzky responded that he wasn’t interested, and he added that it would be “fun to watch” if Canadians pushed the retired hockey player to seek office.
The Canadian Press has tried to contact Gretzky through his agents.
Experts have said that Ottawa is rightfully focused on the prospect of damaging tariffs under the looming Trump presidency instead of pushing back on rhetoric about annexing or purchasing Canada.