No push to axe Canada from Five Eyes intel bloc — Trump aide

A senior White House official has denied a report suggesting that he is pushing to expel Canada from the Five Eyes intelligence network, calling it "nonsense" and "crazy."

Peter Navarro, a close adviser to US President Donald Trump, criticised the Financial Times report which suggested – citing sources familiar with internal administration discussions – that he was pushing the White House to remove Canada from the intelligence-sharing partnership that includes the US, Britain, Australia, and New Zealand.

"My view is that we should never have to comment on any story where it's based on unnamed sources," Navarro told reporters at the White House on Tuesday.

"We would never, ever jeopardise our national security, ever, with allies like Canada," he said, urging people to stop paying attention to reports based on anonymous sources.

"The people familiar with the situation said Navarro, who has easy access to the Oval Office due to his close relationship with Trump, is arguing that the US should increase pressure on Canada by evicting the country from the Five Eyes," the FT reported.

"It is unclear whether the idea has gained traction with Trump but it is being discussed among his officials."

Trump's threats to absorb Canada

Navarro's denial comes amid deteriorating US-Canada ties since Trump took office in January.

The president has repeatedly suggested Canada could become America's 51st state and has referred to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau as a "governor" rather than a head of government.

Trudeau, who will quit on March 9, was recently caught on a mic warning that Trump's ambition to absorb Canada was a "real thing".

Trump also recently announced a 25 percent tariff package targeting Canadian imports, further straining bilateral ties.

The Five Eyes alliance is an intelligence-sharing arrangement, allowing members to share highly classified information and signals intelligence.

The Atlantic Magazine reported in January that several foreign intelligence officials said in light of Trump's reckless handling of intelligence in his first term, in 2017-2021, "they are taking steps to limit how much sensitive intelligence they share with the Trump administration, for fear that it might be leaked or used for political ends."