‘As an American I’m terrified’: Canadians take to social media to warn Americans of our northern neighbor’s wartime preparations

A viral TikTok has informed Americans of Canada’s apparent wartime preparations, as tensions between the two countries intensify following President Donald Trump’s reelection. The video was shared by Kat Arnett (@itskatarnett), and sees the user warn of the “extremely serious” situation in Canada, with claims that its citizens believe Trump “wants to annex us [and] invade” in pursuit of Canada’s “minerals.”

According to Arnett, this is a sentiment shared by many Canadians, who are treating Trump’s animosity toward the country and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as a “serious threat.” The TikToker claims her fellow citizens have “spent the last week boycotting the U.S.,” and are in the midst of “preparing for war.”   

Arnett also claimed that her U.S. neighbors are unaware of this apparent anti-American climate in Canada, and concluded the video by declaring that “we’re about to go into war.” It comes amid a flurry of reports around increasing tensions between Canada and America, from Trump’s insistent plans to make the country the 51st state of the U.S. to his mocking address of Trudeau as a “governor.” The fans were further flamed by Trump’s now-delayed imposition of a 25% tariff on Canadian imports, which prompted retaliatory threats from Canada. 

Arnett isn’t the only social media to express concern about a potential conflict between Canada and the United States. As reported by NBC News, many took to TikTok to warn followers of the current temperature in Canada, which only intensified when Trudeau was caught on a hot mic discussing Trump’s annexation plans. That hot mic moment — which was also mentioned by Arnett in her video — saw Trudeau admit that Trump is serious about “absorbing our country.”

Of course, Trudeau’s public comments haven’t mentioned the possibility of war, the social media commentary purely speculative at this point. Many users, including both Canadians and Americans, replied to Arnett’s video by saying they hadn’t heard of these discussions around a potential conflict. “My Canadian friends have not heard anything about this,” one user commented, with another adding “this is the first time I’m hearing about it.” One U.S. citizen, also hearing of this for the first time, wrote that “as an American I’m terrified.” 

While war chatter occupies only a small portion of the commentary, the much bigger discussion is one of a definite trade war and a broader push among Canadians away from U.S. dependence. Many Canadians led a boycott of American goods in the wake of Trump’s looming tariffs and plans for annexation, while Canadian sports fans were heard booing the American national anthem on multiple occasions. Canada isn’t the only country that has been roped into Trump’s diplomatic aggression since his inauguration, with the president also aiming for Greenland, Mexico and the Panama Canal. 

JUST IN – Justin Trudeau in hot mic: 'Mr. Trump has it in his mind that the easiest way to do it is absorbing our country and it is a real thing' pic.twitter.com/nN0RnSDCAa

— Insider Paper (@TheInsiderPaper) February 7, 2025

The response among citizens of those countries has been similarly retaliatory, with Greenland’s Prime Minister, Mute Bourup Egede, reiterating that it “is not for sale” amid Trump’s push for ownership of the island. For her part, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo threatened to sue Google after it renamed the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America in alignment with Trump’s executive order.