1USA President-elect Donald Trump says he told Canadian hockey legend Wayne Gretzky during a Christmas Day visit that he should run for Canada’s prime minister.
“Just dumped Wayne Gretzky, ‘The Great One’ as he is known in ice hockey circles,” Trump posted on his Truth Social platform Wednesday afternoon.
“I said, ‘Wayne, why don’t you run for Prime Minister of Canada, who will soon be known as Governor of Canada? You would win easily, you wouldn’t even have to campaign.’ I had no interest,” Trump wrote.
His comment about being governor of Canada refers to Trump repeatedly suggesting the country become a U.S. state, which Ottawa insists is a joke.
Trump added that it would be “fun to see” if Canadians launched a movement to get the retired hockey player to run for office.
The Canadian press has attempted to contact Gretzky through his agents.
Experts have said Ottawa is rightly focused on the prospect of damaging tariffs under the impending Trump presidency, rather than rejecting rhetoric about annexation or the purchase of Canada.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau heads a minority government that could be toppled in a vote of confidence next year, following the surprise resignation of Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland.
Gretzky has previously endorsed Conservative politicians, such as former Ontario Progressive Conservative Leader Patrick Brown, during his bid for party leadership.
During the 2015 federal election, Conservative leader Stephen Harper interviewed Gretzky in front of hundreds of supporters as the Conservatives unsuccessfully sought re-election.
At the event, Gretzky told Harper that he thought he had been an “unreal prime minister” who had been “wonderful to the entire country.”
Gretzky later said he always follows a prime minister’s request, regardless of his political leaning, and noted that he had once hosted a lunch for former Liberal Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 25, 2024.
