Trump begins victory dance over Canadian border moves

US President-elect Donald Trump has been roasting Canada like glazed pork in recent days. But amid all the noise in his statements, some of the lesser-known messages may contain more meat.

Clearly the running joke about Canada being the 51st state is taking shape A torrent of Yuk Yuks on Fox News and the exasperation of his critics.

But new statements from his transition team, campaign, press secretary and Republicans on Capitol Hill could finally signal a more hopeful development for Canada.

Trump victory lap

It risks tariffs that crush the Canadian economy. The pretext that Trump initially cited as a reason for imposing it was the desire to impose new border controls on the flow of migrants and fentanyl.

The development is that his team now takes the victory lap. She’s celebrating the changes Canada announced at the border Tuesday as proof Trump got the job done.

“President Trump is fulfilling his mandate to make sweeping change,” said a press release issued by his transition team on Wednesday, headlined “President Trump is securing the border and not yet in office.”

“I made promises, I kept promises.”

That’s exactly what Canadian officials said anticipation After meeting with Trump at Mar-a-Lago: They understood that he wanted to announce that, even before he took office, he was saving American lives.

And now the incoming White House press secretary is also posting that triumphant message on her Instagram and X accounts, and Republicans on Capitol Hill have been bragging about Trump’s win.

“We’re aware of that,” Andy Biggs, a pro-Trump congressman, said when asked by CBC News about the previous day’s announcements from Ottawa.

“And that’s what really happens when a strong leader comes in and sets signs. So we’re really happy about that.”

Canada announced a Many Of the new changes, ranging from new helicopters at the border, to immigration controls, to new money laundering rules, to a joint Canadian-American police task force to combat fentanyl.

Now the main question arises: Is it enough to convince Trump to abandon his threat to impose 25% tariffs? This is not clear. Trump’s allies in Congress claim they don’t know the truth.

“I don’t know,” Biggs said when asked. He turned to other fellow Republicans nearby and asked if any of them knew the answer. He didn’t do anything.

“You’re asking me to read President Trump’s mind. I will say I support him, and he’s doing a brilliant job.”

It is certainly possible that Trump will continue to impose tariffs on Canada.

But in doing so, he now risks standing against three cross-currents. Two polls now suggest a Canada tariff UnpopularEspecially with swing voters; He threatens his campaign promise to keep prices low; Now, that could risk the much-celebrated cooperation from Canada.

Trump still leaves himself room to maneuver to move forward with tariffs or other future trade measures; He has repeatedly referred to Canada’s trade deficit with the United States as a fraud, ignoring its close connection to the price of oil.

51st State ‘Great Idea’, Trump Posts

Oh, and there’s one more thing he doesn’t give up easily: jokes. This is at the expense of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and the neighboring country.

On Wednesday, Trump again posted positively about Canada becoming the 51st state, calling it a “great idea.”

“No one can answer why we support Canada to the tune of over $100 million a year? It doesn’t make sense! Many Canadians want Canada to become the 51st state,” he wrote on Truth Social. “They will save significantly on taxes and military protection.”

Trump has made a series of statements and social media posts since winning the Nov. 5 election, mocking Canada and Trudeau, and previously referring to him as the “governor” of the 51st state.

Earlier this week, Trump responded to Chrystia Freeland’s stunning resignation from the government, calling her “toxic.”

Freeland participated extensively in trade talks with US Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer during Trump’s first term. The duo, along with a senior Mexican official, signed the Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement, or CUSMA, in 2019, updating the previous North American Free Trade Agreement.

Are we repeating an old claim about the trade deficit?

Biggs, the Republican congressman from Arizona, brushed it off when asked about Trump’s comments about Canada as a country: “The humor is dead,” Biggs replied. “I think Donald Trump is being funny, okay?”

While some suggest that Trump is merely engaging in trolling, others point out that the threat is an effective political tactic.

“It’s about control and intimidation,” said Jennifer Mercieca, a professor of communications at Texas A&M University and author of “He’s been very successful at using those strategies, and mainstream politicians don’t usually know how to respond.” The Demagogue for President: The Rhetorical Genius of Donald Trumphe told CBC News recently.

Trump’s sense of humor is the result of creating an “in-group and out-group,” putting people into different compartments, Mercieca said.

It’s not clear specifically where the $100 million quoted by Trump came from, though it appears to be repeating a seven-year-old figure based on statements Lighthizer made at the time.

According to reporting by CBC’s Evan Dyer at the time, Lighthizer cited a figure in his export accounts that included goods that pass through Canada but do not originate here as Canadian exports, artificially inflating the U.S. trade deficit in goods with Canada. This figure did not take into account trade in services.

Trump has long lamented America’s trade deficit with other countries, although some economists claim that the trade deficit alone does not provide a complete explanation of the economy’s health.

The Council on Foreign Relations, a think tank, said in a report that “a larger trade deficit could be the result of a stronger economy, as consumers spend and import more while higher interest rates make foreign investors more willing to put their money in the United States.” 2019 report.

Canada’s defense spending under the microscope

Former US Presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama urged NATO members to boost domestic defense spending, and in 2014, NATO members agreed to allocate 2% of their gross domestic product to defense spending over the next decade. At the time, Canada was spending just 0.9% of its GDP on defence.

In his first presidential campaign and subsequent term, Trump criticized coalition members and incorrectly stated that they were “behind” in spending.

Canada’s military spending is now estimated to be between 1.3 and 1.4 per cent of its gross domestic product.

This summer, Trudeau told a meeting of parliamentarians from NATO countries that Canada was on track to meet its commitment to spend 2% of GDP on defense by 2032, a pledge that was coolly fulfilled in the United States.

US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said that Canada and other countries must achieve the goal imposed by NATO to spend 2% of gross domestic product “as quickly as humanly possible.” “A pretty big giggle” in Canada’s current timeline.

Canadian Federal Defense Minister Bill Blair said in recent weeks that he was “ready to move faster,” and NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte earlier this month. He issued a clear call to coalition members To increase their defense spending to “well over two percent.” He said coalition members needed to be “wartime” in terms of their defense spending.

Some analysts said the fixed measure could provide an incomplete picture.

“Two percent spending says very little about a country’s actual military capabilities, such as its readiness, deployability, and ability to spread.”
Sustainability levels; “The kind of power it can deploy,” the Carnegie Europe think tank said in a 2015 report.

Also, despite the $38 billion modernization package announced by the Liberal government in 2022, Canada Its commitments to the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) have also come under scrutiny.

Blair said last month that he was asking for help from the United States because most of what the Canadian Armed Forces has to get comes from American companies and defense contractors.

The Canadiens are great for being 51st

A recent Léger poll indicates that 13 per cent of Canadians want the country to become the next US state. Demographic breakdowns show that there is higher support among men at 19 percent, compared to only seven percent of women.

The percentage of Conservative Party supporters reached 21 percent, while one in 10 Liberal voters said they supported the idea. The People’s Party of Canada showed the highest level of support among federal parties at 25 per cent, while the NDP was the lowest at 6 per cent.

Among the overall population, 82% opposed the idea, with the highest percentages coming from the Atlantic provinces, women and Canadians over 55. Léger polled 1,520 people from December 6 to 9. It is wrong because online surveys are not truly random samples.

It’s not a question Canadians have been polled on very often, although it has happened in the past.

A Gallup poll conducted in 1990 around the time of the heated negotiations over the Meech Lake Accord showed that only 13 percent of those polled would support the idea of ​​their county joining the United States, while 79 percent opposed it.

In 1964, Maclean’s magazine published a special issue covering relations between the United States and Canada. In a poll conducted by the magazine and a few other Canadian media outlets, including the CBC program a question17 percent favored the union of Canada and the United States, and 12 percent strongly favored union.

Canadians talked about possibly becoming part of the United States in a recent episode of the CBC podcast Cross-country screening.

You can hear what listeners are saying here: