Watters tells Ontario premier it would be a 'privilege to be taken over' by US

Fox News host Jesse Watters told a Canadian government official this week he would be honored to be "taken over" by the United States if he were a Canadian citizen.

“You say that Americans don’t have a problem with Canadians, and we don’t, but it seems like you have a problem with us. Because if I were a citizen of another country and I was a neighbor of the United States, I would consider it a privilege to be taken over by the United States of America,” Watters told Ontario Premier Doug Ford during an appearance on "Watters' World."

Watters said “that’s what everybody else in the world wants, American citizenship."

"For some reason, that’s repellant to you Canadians, and I find that personally offensive, premier" he exclaimed.

“Well you know something, Jesse .... We’re proud Canadians just like there’s proud Americans, and if we join together and take on the world with a great trade deal between us, I think that’d be fabulous ... No one can stop us," Ford shot back.

The exchange on Tuesday's show was first highlighted by Mediate.

The back and forth between the two comes as President-elect Trump muses about the possibility of using "economic force" to annex the United States' neighbor to the north.

Trump's comments on Canada and on the possible annexation of Greenland have sparked widespread backlash from critics.