Incoming U.S. president Donald Trump has been courting controversy in Canada since his election victory, with threats to impose whopping tariffs on Canadian goods and musings about the country becoming 鈥渢he 51st state.鈥�

While Trump鈥檚 comments have drawn anger and fear among Canadians, reaction from Americans who live, study or work in Canada has been mixed 鈥� and largely influenced by how they voted in the presidential election.

Jacob Wesoky, the executive vice chair of Democrats Abroad Canada who is studying political science at McGill University in Montreal, said he is 鈥渆xtremely鈥� disappointed by the president-elect鈥檚 approach to his country鈥檚 鈥渃losest鈥� ally.

鈥淎s an American living in Canada, it is really sad to watch,鈥� said Wesoky, who voted for Trump鈥檚 rival Kamala Harris.

But Canadian American Georganne Burke, a staunch Trump supporter, said that while the incoming president may be 鈥渁 bit of a troll,鈥� she doesn鈥檛 see his actions as harmful to Canada.

鈥淗e鈥檚 not asking for anything unreasonable,鈥� she said.

Trump鈥檚 first shot at Canada came in November, when he said he would impose a 25 per cent tariff on all Canadian and Mexican imports as soon as he returns to the White House on Jan. 20 鈥搖nless the two countries improve security along their borders with the U.S.

After outgoing Prime Minister Justin Trudeau met with Trump in Florida to discuss the tariff threat, the president-elect started pitching the idea of Canada becoming the next U.S. state, trolling Trudeau by calling him 鈥済overnor鈥� of the 鈥済reat state of Canada鈥� in social media posts.

The prime minister鈥檚 announcement Monday that he would step down after the Liberal party elects a new leader only seemed to further embolden Trump, who claimed on his Truth Social platform that 鈥渕any people in Canada LOVE being the 51st state.鈥�

What started out as an apparent joke took another turn Tuesday when Trump threatened to use 鈥渆conomic force鈥� to make Canada the next U.S. state and reiterated his tariff promise at a news conference in Florida. Trudeau responded by saying there 鈥渋sn鈥檛 a snowball鈥檚 chance in hell鈥� that Canada would become part of the United States.

Canada is home to more than a million Americans, including visitors on long-term visas and dual citizens, according to estimates from the Association of Americans Resident Overseas. Among them are many Republicans who voted for Trump, and who said in the days before Trump鈥檚 latest declaration that Canadians shouldn鈥檛 worry about his return to the White House.

Burke said Trump 鈥渋sn鈥檛 anti-Canada鈥� but he has good reasons to be 鈥渧ery worried鈥� about the threat of what she called 鈥渢errorism鈥� along the border and Canada鈥檚 failure to meet NATO鈥檚 military spending benchmark.

鈥淗e鈥檚 saying: you know what, time鈥檚 up, the U.S. is not going be the ATM anymore for anybody, not Canada, not anybody else,鈥� the Ontario resident said.

鈥淗e鈥檚 a bit of a troll, whether people like it or not, people may say, oh, that鈥檚 not presidential or whatever, but that鈥檚 just the way he is.鈥�

The federal government announced last month that it would invest $1.3 billion to strengthen border security. Burke said the results of that pledge might encourage Trump to delay the tariffs and wait to negotiate details with the next Canadian government after Trudeau鈥檚 departure.

Renna Bassal, a longtime Trump supporter and an American who moved to Canada about five decades ago, said last week that Trump鈥檚 remarks about annexing Canada had been a joke aimed at disrespecting and taunting Trudeau 鈥� not Canada as a nation.

The Montreal resident said she isn鈥檛 sure Trump will make good on his tariff threats, and believes the heavy-handed approach he has adopted is a 鈥渂argaining chip鈥� ahead of expected trade negotiations between the two countries.

She said she remains optimistic about U.S.-Canada relations.

鈥淪ometimes, you know, he says things that perhaps he shouldn鈥檛 say, and I鈥檓 hoping that this will be one of those instances where he鈥檚 not going to follow through on (tariffs),鈥� she said. 鈥淚t would be extremely unfortunate, and I certainly hope that this doesn鈥檛 happen.鈥�

Wesoky, the political science student involved with Democrats Abroad Canada, said Trump鈥檚 tariffs would not only increase the cost of living in the United States, but also harm American consumers and businesses as much as they would hurt the Canadian economy.

鈥淪o this rhetoric that really goes against this relationship that is built on trust and respect 鈥� I think is not only dangerous, but it鈥檒l be detrimental to the U.S economy,鈥� he said.

Wesoky said he isn鈥檛 sure that Trump鈥檚 concerns about Canadian border security are legitimate but even if they were, the issue should be handled through negotiations and collaboration.

Before Trump escalated his annexation rhetoric on Tuesday, Ottawa had largely taken a measured approach to the president-elect鈥檚 bluster.

And that might be the best strategy, said Mark R. Brawley, an American Canadian professor of international relations at McGill University.

Instead, Brawley suggested Ottawa could target specific U.S. congressional districts with reciprocal tariffs to trigger opposition to Trump鈥檚 plans from senators and representatives in those areas.

Brawley, who became a Canadian citizen last year after living in the country for almost 35 years, said Trump sees the people he is negotiating with as opponents, not partners, and believes making outrageous remarks about them gives him an advantage.

鈥淗e thinks he鈥檚 throwing them off balance and that gives him some kind of an edge,鈥� he said.

Trump has a habit of exaggerating problems so that he can take credit once they are resolved, Brawley said, and his stance on security at the U.S.-Canada border could be one example of that.

鈥淭he whole idea that Canada would be a single state in the U.S. or that the U.S. wants Canada to be a state is kind of preposterous,鈥� he said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 just his style of doing things, so I wouldn鈥檛 take it too seriously.鈥�