WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump is privately ramping up his focus on another target in the Western Hemisphere, increasingly complaining to aides in recent weeks about Canada’s vulnerability to U.S. adversaries in the Arctic, according to two U.S. officials, a senior administration official and three former senior U.S. officials familiar with the discussions. As Trump’s advisers work toward his goal of acquiring Greenland, the president has privately grown more exercised about what he sees as Canada’s similar inability to defend its borders against any encroachment from Russia or China, specifically arguing Canada needs to spend more on defense, the officials said. They said his push has accelerated internal discussions about a broader Arctic strategy and potentially reaching an agreement with Canada this year to fortify its northern border.Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney and President Donald Trump arrive for a family photo during the G7 Summit in Kananaskis, Alberta, Canada on June 16, 2025. (Geoff Robins / AFP - Getty Images file)(Geoff Robins) “Trump is really worried about the U.S. continuing to drift in the Western Hemisphere and is focused on this,” one of the officials said. The current U.S. officials said there is not discussion of stationing American troops on the ground along Canada’s northern border. And unlike with Greenland, Trump is not seeking to purchase Canada or saying he might take it by U.S. military force, the senior administration official and current and former U.S. officials said. The president’s intensifying private focus on Canada, whose relationship with the U.S. has been deeply strained, comes as he transforms some of his longtime criticisms of America’s neighbors in the Western Hemisphere into actions aimed at expanding U.S. power in the region. He began this year by using the U.S. military to oust the leader of Venezuela and facilitate a U.S. takeover of the country’s oil industry. His administration has similarly threatened the regime in Cuba. He’s warned Colombia and Mexico of possible U.S. intervention to stem the flow of drugs from their countries. And he’s repeatedly said his administration plans to acquire Greenland — through a purchase or military force — setting off a scramble among U.S. allies to negotiate a deal to ease his concerns. Protecting Canada’s northern border is a key part of Trump and his top aides’ vision of “solidifying” the Western Hemisphere, as one of the U.S. officials put it, so it aligns with the U.S. Trump on Saturday suggested a U.S. acquisition of Greenland, a semi-autonomous territory of the Kingdom of Denmark, would also benefit Canada. “At the end of the day, this is to stop Russia and China from having a further presence in the Arctic,” the senior administration official said. “Canada stands to benefit from the U.S. having Greenland.” Canada's public position is that Greenland's fate is up to Greenland and Denmark. Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said Friday that Canada stands behind Denmark as a NATO ally. Asked about the president’s recent renewed focus on Canada behind closed doors, White House spokesperson Anna Kelly said in a statement that an executive order Trump signed last April “underscores the United States’ commitment to ensuring both freedom of navigation and American dominance in the Arctic waterways.” The Canadian Embassy in Washington, D.C., did not respond with a comment. Trump’s criticism of Canada dates back to his first term. Last year, it reached a fever pitch, as he threatened to use “economic force” to take the country and transform it from America’s northern neighbor to the 51st state. Trump sparked a trade war with Canada and openly sparred with its government. More recently, those public tensions have simmered.CNN4.3KHuffPost1.6KThe Daily Beast811 Privately, amid Trump’s increasing complains, U.S. officials are pursuing talks with Canadian officials about ways to increase cooperation between their militaries in the Arctic, the senior administration official and the current and former U.S. officials said. The options being discussed include updating systems in Canada that provide early warnings that an adversary is getting close to the country’s territory or waters, more joint U.S. and Canadian military training and operations, and increasing joint air and water patrols as well as American ship patrols in the Arctic, the current U.S. officials said. The current officials said there is not a discussion of stationing U.S. troops on the ground along Canada’s northern border. One venue for discussions between the U.S. and Canada is a Pentagon working group focused on the Arctic, which has warned the White House that Canada’s exposure to China and Russia along its northern border is among the biggest issues facing the U.S. in the region, the current and former U.S. officials said. Canadian Prime Minister Carney was in Beijing this past week, where he referenced “the new world order” while trying to strengthen ties with China amid Canada’s tensions with the U.S. Carney, the first Canadian prime minister to visit China since 2017, met with Chinese President Xi Jinping on Friday. Trump was asked Friday about Carney cutting a trade deal with China and said that’s “a good thing.” “That’s what he should be doing,” Trump said. “If you can get a deal with China, you should do that.” One of Trump’s top criticisms of Canada has been the amount the country spends on defense, which he has repeated privately in recent days, according to the senior administration official and current and former U.S. officials. They said from Trump’s perspective, that means Canada can’t defend against China or Russia in the Arctic. “They certainly need to up their game when it comes to Arctic capabilities,” one of the officials said, adding that “this is not acceptable given today’s threats” and “the status quo is not enough.” Canada is increasing its defense spending but still falls short of the goal for NATO members. “The world doesn’t see Canada as a major force when it comes to defense,” the senior administration official said. Trump has expressed interest in purchasing more ice breakers to do more maritime patrols there, which could be among new expenditures for Arctic security in next year’s defense budget, the current and former U.S. officials said. While he hasn’t ruled out using military force to seize Greenland, Trump said in an interview on NBC’s “Meet the Press” last year that “it’s highly unlikely” he do so to take over Canada. “I don’t see it with Canada,” Trump said. Trump has not been as publicly vocal about Canada as he’s been privately in recent weeks, and that isn’t expected to change as long as he views discussions between the two countries toward a resolution as productive, the senior administration official and U.S. officials said. This article was originally published on NBCNews.com

President Trump is increasingly complaining to aides about what he sees is Canada’s vulnerability to US foes in the Arctic such as Russia and China, NBC News reports citing current and former US officials