President Trump’s contentious relationship with Canada is fueled by a mix of personal grievances and perceived economic opportunities. Speculation suggests his bitterness stems from failed hotel ventures in Canada and a photo from 2019 involving Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. As Trump threatens new tariffs, he expresses disdain for Canada, prompting political upheaval there. Unlike Trudeau’s conciliatory approach, Trump launches personal attacks, calling Trudeau “dishonest” and suggesting America should absorb Canada for its resources. This hostility has sparked a surge of Canadian nationalism, and Trump insists the U.S. could sever ties unless trade terms improve, threatening Canada’s economy and sovereignty.
There exists a theory suggesting that President Trump harbors resentment regarding his unsuccessful hotel endeavors in Canada.
Some social media users speculate that a photograph from 2019, where Justin Trudeau seemed about to kiss Melania Trump, the first lady, at a G7 summit in France, has fueled Mr. Trump’s animosity towards the charming Canadian prime minister.
Additionally, there’s a transactional perspective that views Mr. Trump’s vision of Canada becoming the 51st state as the ultimate real estate acquisition that would cement his legacy as president.
As Mr. Trump gears up to implement new tariffs on the U.S.’s northern and southern neighbors, he has expressed a distinctive disdain for Canada. The aggressive stance against a country stereotypically associated with kindness has led to political turmoil in Canada, raising questions and speculations about Mr. Trump’s motives in instigating a trade conflict with one of America’s largest trading allies.
“I can’t quite understand it,” remarked Stephen Moore, an economist at the Heritage Foundation and former adviser to Mr. Trump. “Whether it’s some sort of strategic leverage, I’m not sure.”
Highlighting the “no love lost” dynamic between the president and Mr. Trudeau, Mr. Moore noted: “With Trump, politics is personal.”
Mr. Trump has threatened to impose 25 percent tariffs on all imports from Mexico and Canada if the countries do not take stronger action against the flow of migrants and drugs into the United States. Last Saturday, he engaged in another trade dispute with Canada over lumber.
In Canada, curiosity surrounds why Mr. Trump consistently derides a neighboring country and threatens to undermine its economy with tariffs, an action that has strained relations to a low not seen in decades.
Unlike the supportive rapport that Mr. Trudeau enjoyed with former U.S. President Barack Obama, his interactions with Mr. Trump have been contentious.
In 2018, after the G7 summit in Charlevoix, Quebec, Mr. Trump targeted Mr. Trudeau on social media, labeling him “very dishonest and weak” while accusing him of making “false statements,” and hinting at impending tariffs on Canadian automobiles.
While Mr. Trudeau maintained a generally cautious tone in his public comments about Mr. Trump during the latter’s first term, the two leaders possess starkly different personal and political styles. Mr. Trump tends to aggressively undermine those he views as adversaries, whereas Mr. Trudeau emphasizes the importance of unifying people, advocating what he termed a “sunny ways” approach to governance.
In a candid discussion with business leaders last month that was unintentionally recorded, Mr. Trudeau posited a theory regarding Mr. Trump’s fixation on Canada, a sentiment widely echoed across the nation.
“The Trump administration is not only aware of our critical mineral reserves, but that might even explain their continual talk of absorbing us to make us the 51st state,” Mr. Trudeau mentioned at an event in Toronto.
“They are very conscious of our resources,” Mr. Trudeau continued, “of what we possess, and they are eager to capitalize on that.”
He further stated: “However, Mr. Trump seems to believe that one of the simplest ways to access these resources is by absorbing our nation. This is a genuine concern.”
Mr. Trump does indeed possess a keen interest in minerals. He has been striving to negotiate a deal for access to Ukraine’s rare earth supplies while attempting to finalize an agreement to resolve its conflict with Russia.
In his business career, Mr. Trump was involved in two ventures in Canada, both of which ultimately ended in failure. The Toronto hotel and condominium project, owned by a Canadian investor who licensed the Trump brand and contracted a Trump company for management, was placed into receivership in 2016. The subsequent year, a hotel under the Trump name, also managed in a similar manner, opened in Vancouver but failed thereafter. (Marketing materials had exaggerated the building’s height.)
Both establishments, which now operate under different ownership and management, became focal points for protests in a nation where Mr. Trump has consistently faced unpopularity due to his “America First” stance and derogatory remarks regarding Canada. Prior to the Vancouver opening, then-mayor Gregor Robertson expressed to the property owners his desire for them not to use the Trump name.
“Trump’s name and brand have no rightful place on Vancouver’s skyline, just as his misguided ideas do not belong in the contemporary world,” Mr. Robertson stated.
Before entering the political arena, Mr. Trump held a more amicable stance toward Canada.
In 2012, amid the Obama administration’s hesitance to approve the Keystone XL Pipeline intended to transport oil from Canada to the U.S., Mr. Trump publicly advocated for the project’s advancement.
“We must utilize our resources and back allies like Canada,” he posted on social media.
Yet, by 2015, his critiques of the North American Free Trade Agreement, which encompasses the U.S., Canada, and Mexico, became a focal point of his initial presidential campaign. Mr. Trump frequently labeled the agreement a “disaster” for American workers, prioritizing its termination as a primary goal if he won the election.
A revised trade arrangement was finalized in 2020 following intense and often contentious negotiations among the three nations. At one juncture, Mr. Trump even suggested sidelining Canada in favor of a deal with Mexico alone.
Now back in office, Mr. Trump has made it clear that he believes the agreement he ratified fell short for the United States and requires re-evaluation. Recently, he has been critical of Chrystia Freeland, the Canadian official who negotiated the deal for Canada.
“She’s a whack,” Mr. Trump remarked about Ms. Freeland, who served as Canada’s deputy prime minister and finance minister during his first term, in an interview with The Spectator.
As Mr. Trump has hinted at imposing additional tariffs on Canada over the past month, his attitude towards the outgoing prime minister has grown increasingly disdainful. He has mockingly referred to Mr. Trudeau as “governor,” amid ongoing speculation about a potential U.S. annexation of Canada.
Mr. Trump even suggested that former Canadian hockey legend Wayne Gretzky should run for prime minister, stating late last year that he would “win easily.” Despite not supporting the idea of Canada joining the U.S., Mr. Gretzky has faced backlash from Canadians who perceive him as disloyal due to his association with Mr. Trump.
These provocations have spurred a rise in Canadian nationalism, manifesting in “Made in Canada” Facebook groups. In one of these groups, boasting over a million members, Canadians exchange recommendations about locally-made pancake mixes and suggest flavors of Cove Soda as a potential alternative to Coca-Cola.
“There’s a widespread sense of patriotism that hasn’t been present in Canada for many years in response to Trump and his antagonism,” noted Ira Wells, a professor at the University of Toronto’s Victoria College.
However, Mr. Trump seems undeterred by Canada’s assertions of sovereignty. He indicated last week that the United States might also be ready to sever its ties with Canada unless the trade relationship improves.
According to Mr. Trump, the U.S. has no need for Canadian products like lumber and asserted that Canada could not endure without American military protection and favorable trade conditions.
“I love Canada, I love the people of Canada,” Mr. Trump stated during a cabinet meeting at the White House. “It’s unfair for us to be supporting Canada — If we do not back them, they will not survive as a nation.”