--- title: Trump Says Canada Can Join ‘Golden Dome’ description: Trump offered Canada the option to join the U.S. missile-defense system for free—if it becomes the 51st state. canonical: https://time.com/7289035/trump-golden-dome-canada-51st-state-missile-defense-cost-carney/ author: Chad de Guzman article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2025-05-28T03:00:00.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-10-19T07:52:43.890Z article:section: Politics og:title: Trump Says Canada Can Join ‘Golden Dome’ og:description: Trump offered Canada the option to join the U.S. missile-defense system for free—if it becomes the 51st state. og:url: https://time.com/7289035/trump-golden-dome-canada-51st-state-missile-defense-cost-carney/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltc0ed081daf6fd6d3/6998c6fa7323afb4b72bc8d1/donald-trump-golden-dome_f55cc8.jpg?branch=production&width=1024&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1024 og:image:height: 576 og:image:alt: Donald Trump og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Trump Says Canada Can Join ‘Golden Dome’ twitter:description: Trump offered Canada the option to join the U.S. missile-defense system for free—if it becomes the 51st state. twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltc0ed081daf6fd6d3/6998c6fa7323afb4b72bc8d1/donald-trump-golden-dome_f55cc8.jpg?branch=production&width=1024&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Trump Offers Canada Free ‘Golden Dome’ Protection to Become 51st U.S. State > Sponsored content. 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Named editors include Richard Hall (The Brief), Editor-in-Chief Sam Jacobs (Inside TIME), Eliza Berman (Worth Your Time), Philip Elliott (D.C. Brief), Justin Worland (Future Proof) and Harry Booth (In the Loop). Health Matters is written by TIME's health desk. #### How do I sign up for a TIME newsletter? Go to time.com/newsletters, choose the newsletters you want and enter your email address. There is no cost and no subscription requirement. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-network-2026q3/newsletters?i=7da0dc39-d483-4a33-9841-c9f77aea1e87&cr=time-nl-network-2026q3-v1) ## Video: Trump Announces $175 billion ‘Golden Dome’ Missile Defense System [Watch (HLS stream): Trump Announces $175 billion ‘Golden Dome’ Missile Defense System](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/sK135DHn.m3u8) (2:52)  _Published 2025-05-21. President Donald Trump announced on Tuesday concepts for a 'Golden Dome' missile defense program that he said would cost $175 billion to complete over the course of three years. The concept is inspired by Israel's Iron Dome._  by [Chad de Guzman](https://time.com/author/chad-de-guzman/)  ## Chad de Guzman Reporter May 28, 2025 3:00 AM UTC President Donald Trump announced on Tuesday concepts for a 'Golden Dome' missile defense program that he said would cost $175 billion to complete over the course of three years. The concept is inspired by Israel's Iron Dome.  by [Chad de Guzman](https://time.com/author/chad-de-guzman/)  ## Chad de Guzman Reporter May 28, 2025 3:00 AM UTC Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said on May 21 that the country [was in talks](https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cy4ee9jmk17o) with the U.S. about taking part in President Donald Trump’s [“Golden Dome” missile defense system](https://time.com/7287304/golden-dome-trump-missile-defense-space-costs-concerns-elon-musk/). Asked how much Canada was willing to shell out for the project that is expected to cost upwards of hundreds of billions if not trillions of dollars, Carney said he was not going to “put a price tag” on it, but added: “We are conscious that we have an ability, if we so choose, to complete the Golden Dome with investments and partnership.” But Trump said Tuesday, May 27, that Canada could join for free—with a catch. “I told Canada, which very much wants to be part of our fabulous Golden Dome System, that it will cost $61 Billion Dollars if they remain a separate, but unequal, Nation, but will cost ZERO DOLLARS if they become our cherished 51st State,” Trump [posted](https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/114581970051938528) on Truth Social. “They are considering the offer!” **Read More:** [_China, North Korea, and Russia’s Response to Trump’s ‘Golden Dome’ Proposal_](https://time.com/7288728/golden-dome-trump-north-korea-russia-china-response-space-militarization/) Trump has repeatedly expressed a desire for [Canada to become a U.S. state](https://time.com/7283200/canada-not-for-sale-carney-tells-trump/)—a position that’s deeply unpopular among Canadians. In an Oval Office meeting on May 6, Carney, whose [election in late April](https://time.com/7281123/mark-carney-wins-canada-election-liberals/) was seen as a rebuke to Trump, insisted to the U.S. President that his northern neighbor is “not for sale” and “won’t be for sale, ever.” Trump responded that “time will tell” and “never say never.” The U.S. and Canada already have a joint air defense system called the [North American Aerospace Defense Command](https://www.norad.mil/About-NORAD/). Canada said [in 2022](https://www.canada.ca/en/department-national-defence/services/operations/allies-partners/norad/facesheet-funding-norad-modernization.html) it would invest some $28 billion over the next two decades for its modernization. Trump’s plan for a “Golden Dome,” envisioned as a network of interceptors, satellites, and sensors capable of thwarting missile attacks and modeled after Israel’s “Iron Dome,” would cost significantly more. The President said last week, when announcing plans for the “Golden Dome” to be operational by the end of his term, that the project would cost $175 billion overall, and the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office estimated the cost to develop and operate such a system could rise as high as $831 billion over 20 years—and that’s just to protect the United States. ## Transcript [00:00] In the campaign. I promised the American people that I would build [00:03] a cutting edge missile defense shield to protect [00:06] our homeland from the threat of foreign missile attack. [00:10] And that's what we're doing. [00:11] Today, I'm pleased to announce that we have officially selected an architecture for [00:16] this state of the art system that will deploy [00:19] next generation technologies across the land, [00:21] sea and space, including space based sensors and interceptors. [00:26] And Canada has called us, [00:28] and they want to be a part of it. [00:30] So we'll be talking to them. [00:31] They want to have protection also. [00:34] So as usual, we help Canada do the best we can. [00:38] This design for the Golden Dome will integrate with our existing defense capabilities, [00:44] and should be fully operational before the end of my term. [00:47] So we'll have it done in about three years. [00:50] Once fully constructed, the Golden Dome will be capable of intercepting missiles even [00:56] if they are launched from other sides [00:58] of the world and even if they are launched from space. [01:01] And we will have the best system ever built. [01:05] As you know, we helped Israel with theirs and it was very successful. [01:10] And now we have technology that's even far advanced from that, [01:14] but including hypersonic missiles, [01:17] ballistic missiles and advanced cruise missiles, [01:19] all of them will be knocked out of the air. [01:23] We will truly be completing the job that President Reagan started 40 years ago, [01:28] forever ending the missile threat to the American homeland. [01:31] And the success rate is very close to 100%, [01:35] which is incredible when you think of it, [01:36] you're shooting bullets out of the air. [01:38] Ultimately, this right here, [01:39] the Golden Dome for America, is game changer. [01:42] It's a generational investment in the security of America and Americans. [01:46] Mr. president, you said we're going to secure [01:48] our southern border and get 100% operational control [01:51] after the previous administration allowed an invasion of people into our country. [01:57] Uh, President Reagan 40 years ago, cast the vision for it. [02:00] The technology wasn't there. Now it is. [02:03] And you're following through to say we will protect the homeland from cruise missiles, [02:07] ballistic missiles, hypersonic missiles, [02:10] drones, whether they're conventional or nuclear. [02:13] What does this get the United States? [02:15] Somebody said it already is before. [02:17] There really is no current system. [02:18] We have certain areas of missiles and certain missile defense, [02:22] but there's no system. [02:24] Uh, we just have some very capable weapons that hopefully we never have to use. [02:29] But we have some very capable weapons. [02:31] Now, this is a different league. [02:33] There's never been anything like this. [02:34] This is something that's going to be, uh, very protective. [02:37] I think you can rest assured there'll be nothing like this. [02:40] Nobody else is capable of building it either. [02:43] Something that military commanders asked you for. [02:45] Did did they ask you to do this? Uh, well, let. [02:48] Me put it differently. 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