President Donald Trump’s bizarre obsession with insisting that Canada become the “51st State” has pivoted from trollish trash talk to something in which he seems to believe.

Trump is known for his unique form of political kayfabe, perhaps learned from his days on the WWF circuit, knowing that controlling conflict is the easiest way to control the media and, therefore, the narrative. And he’s done it incredibly successfully, as nearly every media outlet — including ours — has not been able to resist taking the bait of outrage he tosses out on the regular.

Much has been made about Trump’s shifting tariff policy towards our biggest trade allies and longest-running allies, Mexico and Canada, which was explained by many as a negotiating tactic to get better border security and help stem the flow of fentanyl into the United States. While one might criticize the ethical nature of this approach, or the on-again-off-again tariff policy has cratered the investment markets, there is no arguing that Trump effectively bullied Mexico and Canada into taking action, even if much of what they agreed to had already long been planned.

But the 51st state thing is a different rhetorical beast altogether. And Trump has said it so repeatedly that it now seems clear as day that it’s no longer a troll but rather something he fully believes in, which is absolutely INSANE given the lack of reason, logic, or even an operational plan for how that would unfold, short of a military invasion.