“Mr. Trump has it in mind that the easiest way to do it is absorbing our country and it is a real thing. In my conversations with him on …” Trudeau was caught saying on a hot mic before the audio cut out, according to a report from CBC.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau told a business gathering on Friday that US President Donald Trump’s threat to annex Canada “is a real thing,” two Canadian business leaders who were at the meeting confirmed to CNN.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says President Donald Trump’s talk of making Canada the 51st state is “a real thing” and is linked to the country’s rich natural resources.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Friday said U.S. President Donald Trump's talk about absorbing Canada "is a real thing" and is linked to the country's rich natural resources, a government source said.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, in a talk with business leaders, said Canada’s wealth of critical minerals are behind Mr. Trump’s comments about making its northern neighbor a U.S. state.

President Donald Trump said he is serious about his plans to make Canada the 51st state during an interview that aired before Sunday night’s Super Bowl. “Yeah, it is,” he replied when asked by Fox News host Bret Baier if his “wish” for Canada to join the United States was a “real thing”—as Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau recently warned a group of businessmen.

Canadian PM Justin Trudeau warned business leaders Trump’s threats about absorbing the country are a “real thing.”