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Kristi Noem shocked locals while performing a bizarre stunt on the Canadian-Vermont border during a recent trip to acknowledge the death of a US border patrol agent.
The Secretary of Homeland Security, 53, brazenly mocked the delicate relationship between Canada and the US during a trip to Vermont in January.
Noem had stopped into the Haskell Free Library & Opera House – a public building standing directly on the border between the United States and Canada.
A line of black tape on the floor of a reading room of the Haskell Free Library and Opera House marks the spot where Derby, Vermont ends and Stanstead, Quebec, begins.
Noem reportedly hopped back and fourth across the line, repeating with a smile: ‘USA number one’ before crossing the line into Canada and saying, ‘The 51st state.’
In an interview last week, Deborah Bishop, the library’s executive director – who is Canadian, told the Boston Globe the stunt wasn’t received well.
‘She did it at least three times and was very clear in saying, “U.S.A. number one” and didn’t even say “Canada”. Just, “The 51st state”,’ Bishop said.
Library volunteer Kathy Converse, who is a US citizen, witnessed Noem’s performance which she said made her angry.
‘I was angry. Politics should not come into this, you know?’ Converse said.
Kristi Noem, 53, shocked fragile Canadians after performing a bizarre stunt on the Canadian-Vermont border
During her January visit Noem, also known as ICE Barbie, visited the Haskell Free Library & Opera House (pictured) – a public building standing directly on the border between the United States and Canada
‘I see the library as a little Switzerland,’ another volunteer, Sylvie Boudreau, told the Globe. ‘Kind of a little neutral place, where we welcome.’
Meanwhile across the border, Stanstead Mayor Jody Stone – who has cultivated close relationships with his American counterparts in Derby – said he was ‘disappointed’ at Noem’s behavior.
‘To see somebody at such a high level of government using words like that … it is kind of insulting to threaten your friends,’ the Canadian mayor said.
Before Noem’s outburst, Stone had stated his gratitude for his cross-country counterpart’s ability to compromise on basic arrangements such as shared water and sewer facilities.
The mayor also noted that during the incident at least one constituent put up a a sign that read, in French, ‘Canada is not for sale.’
The backlash has since continued on social media.
‘Insulting, shameful, and unprofessional. But most of all… childish,’ Roland Paris, an international affairs professor at the University of Ottawa, wrote on X.
‘I see the library as a little Switzerland,’ another volunteer, Sylvie Boudreau, told the Globe. ‘Kind of a little neutral place, where we welcome.’ Pictured: A border marker is seen leading into Derby Line, Vermont from Stanstead, Quebec
The high-ranking government official’s emboldened behavior appears to mimic the 47th President’s increasingly aggressive rhetoric towards Canada. Pictured: President Donald Trump smiles during a news conference with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau
In recent months, Trump, 78, has repeatedly threatened that he would like to annex the country, turning it into the 51st state and using its vast mineral resources
On Tuesday, Doug Sanders, a commentator for a Canadian newspaper illustrated a comparison with the start of the Russian-Ukrainian conflict back in 2014.
‘This is not too far from how it started in Donetsk,’ Sanders quipped in a post shared on X.
The high-ranking government official’s emboldened behavior appears to mimic the 47th President’s increasingly aggressive rhetoric towards America’s northern neighbors.
In recent months, Trump, 78, has repeatedly threatened that he would like to annex the country, turning it into the 51st state and using its vast mineral resources.
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