Canada

Lodging operators are reporting bookings are down 10% to 18% after President Donald Trump said Canada should become the 51st state of the U.S.

The invitation comes as Canadian leaders respond to President Donald Trump's tariffs and annexation rhetoric as existential threats to their sovereignty.

The company cited the exchange rate, transportation costs, and tariffs as the drivers of the decision.

Patrick Woodcock, president and CEO of the Maine State Chamber of Commerce, said he supports President Trump's goal of reinvigorating U.S. manufacturing but he worries about the "blunt" way the president is applying tariffs globally.

Trump has said repeatedly he wants Canada to become the 51st state. It's a statement sometimes laughed off in the U.S., but viewed as deadly serious in Canada.

It also remains unclear whether some imports from Canada that are important to Maine — such as heating oil and gasoline — will still be subject to tariffs.

Justin Trudeau singled out the Maine beach town when talking about how Canadians might display their frustration and anger over the Trump administration's policies and rhetoric toward their country.

The state gets about 80% of refined fuel from its northern neighbor.

While Romanians were involved in less than 1 percent of the U.S. Customs and Border Protection encounters across the whole nation last year, they have made up a growing share of encounters by the Houlton Sector, which covers the Maine section of the northern border.

The Trump Administration issued a temporary, month-long reprieve for the sweeping tariffs, which were scheduled to go into effect Tuesday — but lumber industry experts remain concerned.