Only 17 per cent of Americans back annexing Canada, survey finds, as majority reject Trump’s expansionist agenda

With President Donald Trump openly reviving an expansionist vision for the United States, a new public opinion survey suggests Americans are largely unmoved by the idea, finding little appetite for annexing neighbouring allies such as Canada or strategic territories like Greenland, even as the White House frames territorial ambition as a pillar of national security and hemispheric dominance.

The online survey, conducted between January 13 and 15, of 1,002 US adults found that 66 per cent want Canada to remain independent, while 56 per cent support Greenland retaining its autonomous status under Denmark. The survey was conducted by Vancouver-based public opinion firm Research Co.

“We were curious to see how Americans felt about the expansionist push that their president has initiated,” Research Co. president Mario Canseco. “There is really no group that is clamouring to make the countries and territories that we asked about, either US territories or American states.”


The results were weighted using US census data for age, gender and region and carry a margin of error of ±3.1 percentage points, 19 times out of 20.

According to CTV News, support for annexation was limited, with just 17 per cent backing Canada becoming a US state or territory, rising slightly to 23 per cent for Greenland.

US President Donald Trump has aggressively advanced an expansionist agenda during his second term. He has pushed to make Canada a “cherished” 51st state and annex Greenland, moves rejected by both NATO allies Canada and Denmark.

“The level of support for a change in the status quo tends to be higher among Republicans, particularly on Greenland,” Canseco said. “But we do not see majorities of Americans who voted for Donald Trump in 2024 thinking this is the moment to take over some of these areas.”

Trump’s expansionist push mirrors the administration’s late-2025 National Security Strategy, which calls for restoring US preeminence in the Western Hemisphere.