Wayne Gretzky's wife backs Trump's endorsement of hubby to replace Trudeau as PM
'You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take'
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After President-elect Donald Trump revealed that he told NHL great Wayne Gretzky that he should be Canada’s next leader, the Great One’s wife has co-signed the idea that he could be an exceptional prime minister.
“I just left Wayne Gretzky, ’The Great One’ as he is known in ice-hockey circles,” Trump posted on his Truth Social platform on Christmas Day.
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“I said, ’Wayne, why don’t you run for prime minister of Canada, soon to be known as the governor of Canada — you would win easily, you wouldn’t even have to campaign.’ He had no interest.’”
Despite Gretzky saying he held no political aspirations, Trump urged Canadians to “start a DRAFT WAYNE GRETZKY Movement.”
“It would be so much fun to watch!” he concluded.
According to Fox News, Gretzky’s wife, Janet, who was born in Missouri, reposted Trump’s message to her Instagram Stories. The mother-of-five also added her own endorsement in support of her husband running for office north of the border.
“You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take,” she shared, quoting one of Gretzky’s most famous statements.
On Instagram, many of Janet’s followers backed the idea of the Brantford, Ont.-born Gretzky running for prime minister.
“GOT FOR IT 99 … SAVE CANADA,” one person wrote, while another asked, “Is this a ‘running for PM’ announcement?”
Last month, Gretzky and some of his family appeared at Trump’s victory party after he was re-elected as America’s 47th president. His wife is a fan of Trump, with her mother, Jean, reportedly a fanatical supporter of The Donald.
Dustin Johnson, the professional golfer and husband of the NHL’s all-time leading scorer and Hockey Hall of Famer’s daughter Paulina, has been golfing with Trump since 2017.
Back in 2015, Gretzky, who is ineligible to vote in Canada, endorsed Conservative Leader Stephen Harper.
“I think you have been an unreal prime minister,” Gretzky said during an event in Toronto, adding that he had been “wonderful to the country.”
“I know you have nothing but the country’s best interests at heart,” Gretzky added.
Gretzky’s comments divided social media, but the former Edmonton Oilers great said he has always lent a hand when a sitting prime minister has asked for his help.
“In 1981, I did a luncheon for prime minister (Pierre) Trudeau at the time. In 1986, Mr. (Brian) Mulroney and (his wife) Mila asked me to host an event for a charity of their choice, which I did,” he said.
“When Mr. Harper reached out to me and asked me to do a Q&A with him it’s simple: I can’t vote in this country. But … when the prime minister of Canada calls you, you say: ‘OK, I’ll do the favour for you.’ So whoever is going to be the next prime minister, if they call me for the favour I’d reach out again,” he said.
“I have known Patrick Brown for a number of years now,” Gretzky said in a statement. “Hard working and dedicated, Patrick is a strong Conservative. He has the passion and vision to lead Ontario.”
Elsewhere, Trump continued teasing Canada’s deeply unpopular Prime Minster Justin Trudeau as he prepares to take over as America’s next president in January.
On Wednesday, Trump also offered his Christmas greetings to Trudeau, calling him a “governor” and boasting that Canadians would enjoy a tax cut of more than 60% if the country became a U.S. state.
“Their businesses would immediately double in size, and they would be militarily protected like no other country anywhere in the world,” he wrote.
These comments followed a pre-Christmas message in which he asserted “Many Canadians want Canada to become the 51st State.”
“They would save massively on taxes and military protection. I think it is a great idea. 51st State!!!” he wrote. Trump also welcomed the departure of Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland, calling her “totally toxic.”
Trudeau has been largely quiet about Trump’s taunts. But on Boxing Day he shared a six-word message alongside a video narrated by Tom Brokaw that provided an overview of Canadian politics, landscapes and formative moments in the national memory in the leadup to the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver. “Some information about Canada for Americans,” Trudeau wrote on X.
Meanwhile, Trudeau’s political rival Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre has been a vociferous opponent of Trump’s takeover rhetoric.
“We need a strong, smart prime minister who has the brains and backbone to first and foremost say to President Trump, ‘Canada will never be the 51st state. We will be an independent, proud, sovereign country, as we always have been,'” he said in an exclusive interview with the Toronto Sun.
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