Washington is ready to continue working with Ottawa but "there has to be reciprocity" in trade, the US secretary of state has said

US President Donald Trump's offer to absorb Canada came "logically" after Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau allegedly said his country would cease to exist if Washington imposed higher import tariffs, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has claimed.

In an interview with Canadian-American journalist Catherine Herridge published on Thursday, Rubio recalled a conversation between Trump and Trudeau, in which the latter allegedly suggested that Canada would be unable to cope with increased tariffs.

"Trudeau says, 'if you impose [new tariffs], if you even out our trade relationship, then we will cease to exist as a country.' At which point the president responded very logically, and that is 'if you can't exist without cheating and trade, then you should become a [US] state'," Rubio said.

Trump earlier announced he would impose 25% tariffs on all steel and aluminum imports to the US, including from Canada, effective in March. Rubio argued that while Canada remains a neighbor and partner to the US, the era of allowing trade imbalances must end.

"We can continue to work together on all kinds of things, but whether it's Canada, Mexico, China, or any other partner, when it comes to economics and trade, there has to be reciprocity, there has to be fairness", Rubio said.

Trump has publicly claimed that Canada would not be viable as a country without receiving hundreds of billions of dollars in subsidies from Washington, in addition to military protection from the US.

According to Trump, the solution would be for Canada to join the US, which he claims would lead to "much lower taxes, far better military protection for the people of Canada, and no tariffs." He has also claimed that Canadian citizens "would like" the idea "if it's explained [to them]."

The suggestion, however, has elicited widespread criticism from Canadian officials. Trudeau described it as a "non-starter," claiming that "many citizens" opposed the idea as well. The US wants to "benefit" from Canada's natural resources and "Trump has it in mind that one of the easiest ways of doing that is absorbing our country, and it is a real thing," he warned.

Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre stated that "Canada will never be the 51st state. Period. We are a great and independent country." New Democratic Party Leader Jagmeet Singh dismissed the proposal as absurd, asserting that no Canadian desires such a union.

READ MORE: Canada will never join US - Trudeau

In early February, Trump imposed a 25% tariff on imports from Canada and Mexico, along with an additional 10% tariff on imports from China, citing concerns over illegal immigration and drug trafficking.

In response, Canada announced retaliatory tariffs of 25%, targeting a wide range of American-made goods. However, Washington and Ottawa later agreed to delay the implementation of the tariffs until March 4.