TORONTO >> Prime Minister Justin Trudeau of Canada on Friday made his first comments in response to President Donald Trump’s repeated statements that he wants to annex Canada and make it the 51st state.

Trudeau made clear that he did not regard Trump’s statements as having been in made in jest and believes annexation is something Canada needs to treat as a serious threat.

And he believes he knows why Trump covets Canada.

“I suggest that not only does the Trump administration know how many critical minerals we have, but that may be even why they keep talking about absorbing us and making us the 51st state,” Trudeau told a gathering of company executives and business leaders in Toronto, according to people in the room who listened to his comments.

The news media had been asked to leave the room at the time Trudeau delivered his comments, but at least two news outlets, The Toronto Star and the Canadian Broadcasting Corp., were able to hear them and record them. Trudeau’s office declined to provide details of what the prime minister said.

“They’re very aware of our resources,” Trudeau added, “of what we have, and they very much want to be able to benefit from those.”

And he continued: “But Mr. Trump has it in mind that one of the easiest ways of doing that is absorbing our country. And it is a real thing.”

Trump has been talking about annexing Canada for weeks as he has laid the groundwork for plans to impose 25% tariffs on Canadian exports to the United States.

On Monday, Trudeau and Trump agreed to a 30-day reprieve on tariffs after Canada pledged to adopt a more stringent plan to secure its border with the United States.

During comments to reporters that day in the Oval Office, Trump again raised the statehood issue. “What I’d like to see, Canada become our 51st state,” he said. “I’d love to see that, but some people say that would be a long shot,” he added.