‘USA is a threat’: Canadians slam ‘bully’ Trump’s ‘arrogant’ mockery of ‘Governor Trudeau’
David Badash, The New Civil Rights Movement
December 10, 2024
Donald Trump and Justin Trudeau (Reuters)
Overnight, President-elect Donald Trump continued his verbal assaults on Canada, America's largest trading partner and a top defense partner, by calling Prime Minister Justin Trudeau the "Governor" of the "Great State of Canada." Some Canadians are striking back.
After the November election, Trump announced that one of his first actions would be to impose massive tariffs on Canada, Mexico, and China. The President of Mexico fought Trump in the press, explaining that his border demands were nonsensical since Mexico was already doing what he was calling for.
But Prime Minister Trudeau decided to fly down to Mar-a-Lago to negotiate with Trump—who is not yet President—and by doing so, some claim, gave Trump the upper hand.
"It was a pleasure to have dinner the other night with Governor Justin Trudeau of the Great State of Canada," Trump wrote on his Truth Social website at 12:06 AM Tuesday. "I look forward to seeing the Governor again soon so that we may continue our in depth talks on Tariffs and Trade, the results of which will be truly spectacular for all!"
During their Mar-a-Lago meeting, Trump reportedly mocked Trudeau to his face with his "51st state" trolling, according to Fox News.
Trump's midnight move followed Prime Minister Trudeau saying on Monday that Americans "are beginning to wake up to the real reality that tariffs on everything from Canada would make life a lot more expensive," The Associated Press reported. Trudeau also threatened to retaliate.
Trudeau warned that Trump's tariffs would "mean real hardship for Americans," who "import 65% of their crude oil from Canada, [and] significant amounts of electricity. Just about all the natural gas exported from Canada goes to the United States. They rely on us for steel and aluminum. They rely on us for a range of agriculture imports. All of those things would get more expensive.”
Trump last week promoted what appeared to be an AI-generated image of him standing in snow looking out at what was supposedly Canada but was reportedly the Matterhorn, the mountain that borders Switzerland and Italy.
On Sunday Trump falsely claimed on NBC News' "Meet the Press" that America is "subsidizing Canada to the tune of over $100 billion." He appeared to be referring to the U.S. trade deficit with Canada, which is not "over $100 billion." In 2023, it was $67.9 billion. The U.S. economy is about ten times that of Canada, and the U.S. population is about eight times that of Canada.
"If we're going to subsidize them, let them become a state," Trump angrily declared.
Some in the U.S. suggested Trudeau meeting with Trump may not have been the best move.
"Trudeau running down to Mar-a-Lago right after Trump posted his tariff threat was a huge mistake. Now Trump thinks he owns him. Amazing after all this time so many people still have no clue how to deal with him," noted MeidasTouch editor-in-chief Ron Filipkowski.
Prime Minister Trudeau "hopping on a flight to mar a lago on back of us tariff threat (correctly) perceived as weakness by president-elect trump," noted Ian Bremmer, founder of the political risk research and consulting firm Eurasia Group. He added that Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum "has handled this better."
But critics in the U.S. and Canada are blasting the President-elect.
"Trump's 'great state of Canada' would have cast 20 Senate votes to convict him at his 2021 impeachment trial," wrote The Atlantic's David Frum, a former Bush 43 White House speechwriter who reportedly coined the term "axis of evil."
"Perhaps Trump doesn't realize that annexing Canada would be handing Democrats control of the House, Senate, and White House ... ?" observed The New Yorker's Susan Glasser.
"Disrespectful trolling of Canada and other countries around the world by Trump is a feature of who the man is, not a bug. The world is an unstable and dangerous enough place," warned Bruce Anderson, a Canadian pollster and political commentator.
Canadian pundit Laura Babcock also issued a warning, writing, "FFS this is EXACTLY what I warned about on radio: Trump has a proven process of signalling, mocking and normalizing preposterous ideas (Manifest Destiny in this case) so he can weaken resistance to them! It's how he destroys norms. We need to fight back early and often Canada."
Former Cabinet Minister and Deputy Premier of Alberta, Canada, Thomas Lukaszuk added, "Referring to Canada as US state and to our Prime Minister as Governor must concern us all. This arogant passive aggressive language shows Trump has no respect for Canada’s sovereignty and the integrity of our borders. Such language is dangerous and can’t be tolerated."
Canadian journalist Geoffrey Johnston slammed "ignorant bully" Trump, writing, "Canada will never join USA. Time for Canadians to stop thinking of USA as a friend. Under Trump, USA is a threat to Canada’s economy & sovereignty. Most Canadians prefer our cooperative ways to American private medicine, gun violence, & imperialism."
See the videos and social media posts above or at this link.
David Badash, The New Civil Rights Movement
December 10, 2024
Donald Trump and Justin Trudeau (Reuters)
Overnight, President-elect Donald Trump continued his verbal assaults on Canada, America's largest trading partner and a top defense partner, by calling Prime Minister Justin Trudeau the "Governor" of the "Great State of Canada." Some Canadians are striking back.
After the November election, Trump announced that one of his first actions would be to impose massive tariffs on Canada, Mexico, and China. The President of Mexico fought Trump in the press, explaining that his border demands were nonsensical since Mexico was already doing what he was calling for.
But Prime Minister Trudeau decided to fly down to Mar-a-Lago to negotiate with Trump—who is not yet President—and by doing so, some claim, gave Trump the upper hand.
"It was a pleasure to have dinner the other night with Governor Justin Trudeau of the Great State of Canada," Trump wrote on his Truth Social website at 12:06 AM Tuesday. "I look forward to seeing the Governor again soon so that we may continue our in depth talks on Tariffs and Trade, the results of which will be truly spectacular for all!"
During their Mar-a-Lago meeting, Trump reportedly mocked Trudeau to his face with his "51st state" trolling, according to Fox News.
Trudeau warned that Trump's tariffs would "mean real hardship for Americans," who "import 65% of their crude oil from Canada, [and] significant amounts of electricity. Just about all the natural gas exported from Canada goes to the United States. They rely on us for steel and aluminum. They rely on us for a range of agriculture imports. All of those things would get more expensive.”
Trump last week promoted what appeared to be an AI-generated image of him standing in snow looking out at what was supposedly Canada but was reportedly the Matterhorn, the mountain that borders Switzerland and Italy.
On Sunday Trump falsely claimed on NBC News' "Meet the Press" that America is "subsidizing Canada to the tune of over $100 billion." He appeared to be referring to the U.S. trade deficit with Canada, which is not "over $100 billion." In 2023, it was $67.9 billion. The U.S. economy is about ten times that of Canada, and the U.S. population is about eight times that of Canada.
"If we're going to subsidize them, let them become a state," Trump angrily declared.
"Trudeau running down to Mar-a-Lago right after Trump posted his tariff threat was a huge mistake. Now Trump thinks he owns him. Amazing after all this time so many people still have no clue how to deal with him," noted MeidasTouch editor-in-chief Ron Filipkowski.
Prime Minister Trudeau "hopping on a flight to mar a lago on back of us tariff threat (correctly) perceived as weakness by president-elect trump," noted Ian Bremmer, founder of the political risk research and consulting firm Eurasia Group. He added that Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum "has handled this better."
But critics in the U.S. and Canada are blasting the President-elect.
"Trump's 'great state of Canada' would have cast 20 Senate votes to convict him at his 2021 impeachment trial," wrote The Atlantic's David Frum, a former Bush 43 White House speechwriter who reportedly coined the term "axis of evil."
"Perhaps Trump doesn't realize that annexing Canada would be handing Democrats control of the House, Senate, and White House ... ?" observed The New Yorker's Susan Glasser.
"Disrespectful trolling of Canada and other countries around the world by Trump is a feature of who the man is, not a bug. The world is an unstable and dangerous enough place," warned Bruce Anderson, a Canadian pollster and political commentator.
Canadian pundit Laura Babcock also issued a warning, writing, "FFS this is EXACTLY what I warned about on radio: Trump has a proven process of signalling, mocking and normalizing preposterous ideas (Manifest Destiny in this case) so he can weaken resistance to them! It's how he destroys norms. We need to fight back early and often Canada."
Former Cabinet Minister and Deputy Premier of Alberta, Canada, Thomas Lukaszuk added, "Referring to Canada as US state and to our Prime Minister as Governor must concern us all. This arogant passive aggressive language shows Trump has no respect for Canada’s sovereignty and the integrity of our borders. Such language is dangerous and can’t be tolerated."
Canadian journalist Geoffrey Johnston slammed "ignorant bully" Trump, writing, "Canada will never join USA. Time for Canadians to stop thinking of USA as a friend. Under Trump, USA is a threat to Canada’s economy & sovereignty. Most Canadians prefer our cooperative ways to American private medicine, gun violence, & imperialism."
See the videos and social media posts above or at this link.
By Stephanie Ha
December 10, 2024
CP24
President Donald Trump speaks during a meeting with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau at Winfield House, Tuesday, Dec. 3, 2019, in London. (AP Photo/ Evan Vucci) (Evan Vucci/The Associated Press)
Amid a looming tariff threat, U.S. president-elect Donald Trump appears to be mocking Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, referring to him as “Governor Justin Trudeau” in a post on Truth Social early Tuesday.
“It was a pleasure to have dinner the other night with Governor Justin Trudeau of the Great State of Canada. I look forward to seeing the Governor again soon so that we may continue our in depth talks on Tariffs and Trade, the results of which will be truly spectacular for all!” Trump wrote.
Trump’s remark comes hours after Trudeau said Canada will respond if the U.S. moves ahead with a 25 per cent tariff on Canadian imports unless Canada addresses Trump’s border concerns.
“We will, of course, as we did eight years ago, respond to unfair tariffs in a number of ways, and we’re still looking at the right ways to respond,” Trudeau said at a fireside chat with the Halifax Chamber of Commerce on Monday.
While Trudeau acknowledged this latest threat is “more challenging” and the economic impact of the tariffs would be “devastating,” the prime minister also appealed for calm, saying “not to panic.”
“Knowing that yes, (the tariffs) would be absolutely devastating means we have to take them seriously, but it does mean we have to be thoughtful and strategic, not go around making our opponents' arguments for him, but making our arguments in a significant and united way,” Trudeau said.
Trump’s tariffs in 2018
During his first term as U.S. president, Trump in 2018 triggered a nearly yearlong trade war imposing a 25 per cent tariff on Canadian steel products and 10 per cent on Canadian aluminum. In response, Canada unveiled a 25 per cent counter tariff on a long list of American steel and aluminum products, along with a 10 per cent surtax on miscellaneous U.S. goods including coffee, prepared meals and maple syrup. Those retaliatory tariffs were eventually lifted in 2019 after Canada, the U.S. and Mexico reached a deal.
Trump once again announced plans to impose a 10 per cent tariff on Canadian aluminum in August 2020, but later hit pause amid the looming presidential election later that year.
Less than two weeks ago, Trudeau – along with his chief of staff Katie Telford and Public Safety Minister Dominic LeBlanc– made a surprise visit to Mar-a-Lago to have dinner with Trump and members of his incoming administration to discuss the tariff threat.
Following the meeting, U.S. network Fox News reported Trump joked during the dinner in Florida that if said tariffs debilitated the Canadian economy — as the prime minister conveyed to him — perhaps Canada should become America’s 51st state.
Canadian politicians later downplayed the joke, with LeBlanc saying, “The president was teasing us.”
Meanwhile, in an interview with CTV News Channel’s Power Play last week, Canada’s Ambassador to the U.S. Kirsten Hillman described the comment as “reassuring.”
“(Trump) made jokes, other people at the table made jokes,” Hillman said(opens in a new tab), who was part of the Canadian delegation to Mar-a-Lago, though she wasn’t seated at the same table as Trump and Trudeau during the three-hour dinner. “People were making jokes, which, actually, I have to say, I find to be reassuring that people are that comfortable with each other, that they’re teasing.”
But following that meeting, two senior government sources told CTV News that it was conveyed to the Canadian delegation the tariffs are unavoidable in the immediacy, but solutions in the longer term are on the table, particularly if the border is better secured.
In his first post-election interview, Trump doubled down on his tariff threat, calling the measure “beautiful.”
“I’m a big believer in tariffs. I think tariffs are the most beautiful word. I think they’re beautiful. It’s going to make us rich,” Trump said in an interview with NBC’s Meet The Press that aired Sunday.
Trump also made reference to Canada becoming a U.S. state.
“We’re subsidizing Canada to the tune over $100 billion a year. We’re subsidizing Mexico for almost $300 billion. We shouldn’t be — why are we subsidizing these countries?” Trump said. “If we’re going to subsidize them, let them become a state.”
In that interview, the U.S. president-elect later reiterated his border concerns.
“We can’t have open borders. And I said to the president of Mexico and to Justin Trudeau, if it doesn’t stop, I’m going to put tariffs on your country at about 25 per cent,” Trump said.
In the wake of the tariff threat, the federal government says it will be adding more personnel and equipment resources at the border, but so far has yet to outline specifics.
With files from CTV News' Spencer Van Dyk
Amid a looming tariff threat, U.S. president-elect Donald Trump appears to be mocking Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, referring to him as “Governor Justin Trudeau” in a post on Truth Social early Tuesday.
“It was a pleasure to have dinner the other night with Governor Justin Trudeau of the Great State of Canada. I look forward to seeing the Governor again soon so that we may continue our in depth talks on Tariffs and Trade, the results of which will be truly spectacular for all!” Trump wrote.
Trump’s remark comes hours after Trudeau said Canada will respond if the U.S. moves ahead with a 25 per cent tariff on Canadian imports unless Canada addresses Trump’s border concerns.
“We will, of course, as we did eight years ago, respond to unfair tariffs in a number of ways, and we’re still looking at the right ways to respond,” Trudeau said at a fireside chat with the Halifax Chamber of Commerce on Monday.
While Trudeau acknowledged this latest threat is “more challenging” and the economic impact of the tariffs would be “devastating,” the prime minister also appealed for calm, saying “not to panic.”
“Knowing that yes, (the tariffs) would be absolutely devastating means we have to take them seriously, but it does mean we have to be thoughtful and strategic, not go around making our opponents' arguments for him, but making our arguments in a significant and united way,” Trudeau said.
Trump’s tariffs in 2018
During his first term as U.S. president, Trump in 2018 triggered a nearly yearlong trade war imposing a 25 per cent tariff on Canadian steel products and 10 per cent on Canadian aluminum. In response, Canada unveiled a 25 per cent counter tariff on a long list of American steel and aluminum products, along with a 10 per cent surtax on miscellaneous U.S. goods including coffee, prepared meals and maple syrup. Those retaliatory tariffs were eventually lifted in 2019 after Canada, the U.S. and Mexico reached a deal.
Trump once again announced plans to impose a 10 per cent tariff on Canadian aluminum in August 2020, but later hit pause amid the looming presidential election later that year.
Less than two weeks ago, Trudeau – along with his chief of staff Katie Telford and Public Safety Minister Dominic LeBlanc– made a surprise visit to Mar-a-Lago to have dinner with Trump and members of his incoming administration to discuss the tariff threat.
Following the meeting, U.S. network Fox News reported Trump joked during the dinner in Florida that if said tariffs debilitated the Canadian economy — as the prime minister conveyed to him — perhaps Canada should become America’s 51st state.
Canadian politicians later downplayed the joke, with LeBlanc saying, “The president was teasing us.”
Meanwhile, in an interview with CTV News Channel’s Power Play last week, Canada’s Ambassador to the U.S. Kirsten Hillman described the comment as “reassuring.”
“(Trump) made jokes, other people at the table made jokes,” Hillman said(opens in a new tab), who was part of the Canadian delegation to Mar-a-Lago, though she wasn’t seated at the same table as Trump and Trudeau during the three-hour dinner. “People were making jokes, which, actually, I have to say, I find to be reassuring that people are that comfortable with each other, that they’re teasing.”
But following that meeting, two senior government sources told CTV News that it was conveyed to the Canadian delegation the tariffs are unavoidable in the immediacy, but solutions in the longer term are on the table, particularly if the border is better secured.
In his first post-election interview, Trump doubled down on his tariff threat, calling the measure “beautiful.”
“I’m a big believer in tariffs. I think tariffs are the most beautiful word. I think they’re beautiful. It’s going to make us rich,” Trump said in an interview with NBC’s Meet The Press that aired Sunday.
Trump also made reference to Canada becoming a U.S. state.
“We’re subsidizing Canada to the tune over $100 billion a year. We’re subsidizing Mexico for almost $300 billion. We shouldn’t be — why are we subsidizing these countries?” Trump said. “If we’re going to subsidize them, let them become a state.”
In that interview, the U.S. president-elect later reiterated his border concerns.
“We can’t have open borders. And I said to the president of Mexico and to Justin Trudeau, if it doesn’t stop, I’m going to put tariffs on your country at about 25 per cent,” Trump said.
In the wake of the tariff threat, the federal government says it will be adding more personnel and equipment resources at the border, but so far has yet to outline specifics.
With files from CTV News' Spencer Van Dyk
No comments:
Post a Comment