What’s behind Trump’s many grievances with Canada?
Global News
Theories abound, from the plausible to the personal to the neo-colonial -- to even the perverse.
As the U.S. finally slaps long-threatened tariffs on Canada, a population unaccustomed to conflict wonders: what does President Donald Trump have against us, anyway?
Theories abound, from the plausible (It’s about the lack of U.S. access to the Canadian dairy market), to the personal (Trump really, really doesn’t like Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau), to the neo-colonial (the U.S. wants to annex us) to the perverse. (Could it have been that 2019 photographic faux pas, when Trudeau looked like he wanted to smooch the First Lady, Melania?)
Trump has given his own reasons — lax border security and fentanyl, but sometimes impeded access to banking or an incorrectly quoted trade imbalance — but those reasons have either been disproven or dismissed. He frequently goads Canada and “Governor Trudeau” from his Truth Social account, claiming Canadians want to become the 51st state and arguing that economically, it might be better for us anyway.
There is also another theory offered by a long-time Trump confidant: the U.S. doesn’t have the time or desire to come up with coherent reasons to resent us.
“There’s a lot going on here, besides U.S.-Canada,” long-term Trump adviser and former commerce secretary Wilbur Ross tells Global News.
In a bid to understand the erupting tensions between the two once-close trading partners and neighbours, Global News examined past administration memoirs, policy papers, prior interviews and spoke to administration officials, current and prior, to understand where the fractious relationship started to crack.
But no consensus was given as to when the offending affront may have occurred.
Some theories appear to have credibility — there’s certainly still ill will harboured towards Canadian dairy, and Trump really does not have anything nice to say about Trudeau. There’s also influential Trump adviser Peter Navarro, who really seems to dislike his northern neighbours.
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