Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau told a business gathering on Friday that US President Donald Trump’s threat to annex Canada “is a real thing,” two Canadian business leaders who were at the meeting confirmed to CNN.

Trudeau’s comments to business and labor leaders in a closed-door session were mistakenly carried by a loudspeaker, CBC reported.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau attributed President Trump’s statements about making Canada a U.S. state to Canada’s wealth of critical minerals.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Friday said U.S. President Donald Trump's talk about absorbing Canada "is a real thing" and is linked to the country's rich natural resources, a government source said.