As some Canadians choose to travel internationally or stay home, Louisiana's lieutenant governor is urging President Donald Trump to apologize for his comments about Canada becoming the 51st state. Lt. Gov. Billy Nungesser expressed concern over the negative impact of Trump's remarks during a recent tourism promotion visit to Canada.

Nungesser, a Republican, stated, "I don’t realize what the impact has been until I got here, but the pushback from the president’s comments about the 51st state, the tariffs, have really left a bad taste in Canadians’ mouths." He emphasized the importance of protecting Louisiana's multi-billion dollar tourism market.

In early 2025, Trump made several statements suggesting he would like Canada to join the U.S. as the 51st state. These comments coincided with a trade war that disrupted long-standing free trade between the two nations. In February, Trump remarked, "Look, what I’d like to see — Canada become our 51st state," which drew sharp criticism from Canadian leaders, including then Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre. Poilievre responded, "Canada will never be the 51st state. We are an independent, proud and strong nation."

Since the onset of the trade war and Trump's comments, Canadian travel to the U.S. has significantly declined. Statistics Canada reported a nearly 36 percent drop in Canadian car trips to the U.S. in July 2025 compared to the previous year, while air travel decreased by over 16 percent. In response, California's tourism agency launched a campaign aimed at attracting Canadian visitors. The campaign, titled "California Loves Canada," features a video celebrating the relationship between the two regions.

Despite the overall decline in Canadian visitors, Florida's Governor Ron DeSantis remains optimistic. He noted that Florida attracted 640,000 Canadians in the second quarter of 2025, stating, "They said that the Canadians were going to stop coming to Florida and I’m thinking to myself, I don’t think that’s true because who would want to be in Canada in the winter or spring when you could be in Florida?" However, Visit Florida's data indicates that Canadian visits to the state fell by nearly 17 percent in the first quarter of 2025 and 20 percent in the second quarter.