I can tell you this is irreparably poisoning the Americana well in Canada. Some will have trouble conflating their ill will towards the Trump regime with American citizens.
Trump was democratically elected. His presidency, as deplorable as I find it, represents a majority of the electorate. The world is correct to blame us. We're not like the Palestinians who lived under a terrorist regime. We're not like the Russians or Chinese who don't really have a choice of who their autocratic rulers are, but we did.
I am ashamed of the actions of our government and the millions of citizens who were happily duped.
It was likely a good idea in another time, a way of solving a problem. Now it has itself become a problem. A not so easily solved problem, mainly because of politics.
It was a compromise to the slave-owning southerners, who did not live in cities where the majority of the population was. It was a way to give the landowners more power.
Yes the cult. The Joe Rogan, Charlie Kirk,magas, Elon Musk, Wwg1wga,WWF and the others ( think Trump controls the economy) are all in for our government to end…
1/2 our country voted for Harris/Walz and a lot of lazy people sat home and didn’t vote at all. Civic minded people are hard to find. The education system does not promote civic engagement or education and they are making it even worse. Parents need to make sure their kids are registered and know their representatives and how they vote Local, State and Federal! Explaining that lawmakers run the country and they can have a say so. Until then we suffer and hope we have a chance to get back to a country that works together to have all participating in a good quality of life!!! The hate in this administration is palpable. Firing experts and civil servants because you want to have only yes men is pure evil…..
Thank you! He only squeaked by with 1.5%, More did not vote, than voted for him. They were victims of Russian propaganda and a complicit corporately owned media who sane-washed the porcine obscenity.
The regime the Palestinians live under is the colonial one based in occupied Jerusalem. They are indeed a terrorist regime starting with the terrorism they enacted on Palestinians in 1948. Welcome to the resistance.
I hope that people can separate the government from the people, hard though it may be. Those of us who support Israel and detest Netanyahu have been doing it for years.
Why should they? Outside the US, the only thing that matters is US policy, not the fact that some Americans didn't vote for Trump. Ian Clarke is right; the ill will towards Americans in Canada right now is unprecedented.
and as Margaret Atwood has said (roughly), most Americans are benignly ignorant of Canada, but most Canadians are maliciously well-informed about the USA. She also described the Canada/US border as the world's longest one-way mirror.
The solution is simple: Trump/GOP are strictly pay-to-play. Just get a few big Canadian businessmen or corporations to cough up $25million or greater checks to Trump and/or GOP politicians. Or some of their pet PAC's and charities.
Jeff Yass donated $49million to Trump/GOP in the '24 election cycle, and got the TikTok ban reversed. Musk coughed up $250 million--plus tens of millions more in kind, by relegating X to the service of Trump/GOP--and only saw a mere 10% tariff increase on Tesla's China supply chain.
I think the work is harder than what you have described. Americans have allowed your political system to be attacked and eroded over many decades and you are now at the point where your ‘elected’ government is both corrupt and not able to co-exist peacefully with others -other politicians, other sovereign states, other media. Adding more graft to the table doesn’t solve the problem though it may temporarily relieve the discomfort - until the next time a new policy is mused into existence. America is demonstrating that its signature on an agreement is worth little. Your civil service is being decimated and replaced with loyal subjects, and you are now beginning to abuse your trusted partner nations. Sound familiar? Playbook recently updated by Putin. You are being subjected to the slow death by 1000 cuts, and the rest of us are getting dragged into this. We can’t fix your politics or your politicians. That is the very hard work that you have to do.
Canadian here. Your suggestion, facetious as it may be, will bankrupt us as assuredly as Trump's tariffs will, with the additional injury of destroying whatever is left of our soul. Every single oligarch and corporation that has purchased itself power with Trump is a ghoul; turning a nation's character into such a monster is beyond the pale. America has to save itself, and so does Canada.
There’s no reason for the Canucks to have friendly feelings toward any of us. They know now that (1) half of our country are nihilistic selfish democracy-doubters and (2) the rest of us can’t control the knuckle-draggers. We’ve lost a friend.
This is horrible. I hope it's not permanent. I'm not criticizing Canadians for being angry at these stupid actions by Trump. I'm expressing the wish that we can reestablish our longstanding friendship when this monster finally leaves office.
That's a good point. It is encouraging to see many Americans becoming incensed at what is happening in their country AND what the Trump regime is doing to its allies. If you give up that fight though, most Canadians will lose faith in an America they thought they knew. It's true that probably a higher percentage of Canadians than Americans have a decent understanding of what is going on in the US; we have to be that vigilant because you are so much more powerful than we are. I hope my American friends and cousins will be resolute and fight the good fight, for all of our sakes.
Oh, I'm sure people are wise and would be as capable to separate the government of the USA from its people as they are separating, say, the government of Russia from its people. Poor Russians, they have absolutely nothing to do with Putin... I mean, Americans, with Trump.
Look at this way: if Putin died or was deposed and a democratic leader took his place, would we still consider Russia an enemy? I get why other countries will be anti-American for the moment. I'm hoping that when -- please! -- the Trump Error finally is over the breaks aren't permanent.
Unfortunately, among the things Trump has broken are the treaties and agreements the US is signatory to. No country can ever trust the United States ever again because even after Trump is gone, it is now clear that any half-witted demagogue like him can simply repudiate any agreement, any alliance, any treaty.
I would love for the Senate Democrats to bring suit against Trump for abrogating treaties he is bound to uphold by the black-letter Constitution.
But I'm also afraid that the current Supreme Court would simply hold that the entire Constitution, with the exception of the last few words of the Second Amendment, is unconstitutional and thus void.
the actual terms of NAFTA/USMEXCA (or whatever) about when tariffs may be applied and how the dispute resolution processes work have been remarkably absent from any discussions of Trump's actions. Maybe it's because everybody knows he is not bound by laws or by contracts, even (or maybe especially) ones he has made himself.
Well, I don't know about you, but here in the Eastern Europe we sure as hell would still consider Russia an enemy. I mean, not a fighting enemy, but it wasn't Putin who took a gun and went to kill people for money; it wasn't Putin who built all those drones, bombs and missiles that fall at Ukrainian cities and it isn't Putin who reports to authorities about anyone in Russia trying to say that may be they shouldn't do it.
I mean, it's not even majority of Russians who do it, and still it'll take a generation to calm things down here. And as for Americans, well, it is definitely a majority of you who either voted for Trump or stayed home. Everything he does is on you. I mean, I'm not Canadian, but if I were, I wouldn't forget in a hurry.
Not on me. I've voted against him in every election. I don't believe in collective guilt. You sound like the antisemites who want to blame all Jews for Netanyahu.
*shrug* or like Jews who blame every Palestinian for terrorism. Yeah. That's human nature for you. You may not believe in collective guilt, but it won't stop others from believing in it.
We didn’t really treat Russia all that well when they were, briefly, a nascent democracy. We did what we so often do, to our discredit: We started them on the road to democracy, and then essentially wished them good luck and walked away. And we left a vacuum for Putin to exploit - we didn’t create Putin, but we sure enabled him. That is a problem our system creates for us, because we have earned a reputation of being inconstant, especially in the recent past with the starkly terrifying contrast between Obama and Trump, then the hopeful contrast between Trump and Biden, and now the glaringly, alarmingly terrifying contrast between Biden and Trump. No wonder our allies don’t feel they can trust us. Because they can’t. America is apparently feckless. And if Trump did some damage in his first term, that’s nothing compared to what he intends to do now. He’s just getting started, and I’m not so sure seat belts will help. Not in a hellscape, not in Mad Max Thunderdome world. Will our institutions hold? We will see, but I’m less than optimistic.
I hear you. He's a criminal grifter narcissist. But he's also a self-absorbed incompetent who overreaches. The midterms can't come soon enough. (And the lower courts, at least, seem to be holding... so far.)
It's remarkable how its an article of faith among liberals that the Russian seizure of Crimea in 2014 and the invasion of ukraine in 2022 are a product of one mans personal ambitions as opposed to say a countries strategic interests or state decision making processes that incorporate inputs from diverse stakeholders. It seems to be borderline racist (the trope of Asiatic Russia used as far back as Napoleon) or alternatively just a product of shallow lazy thinking.
One hopes that Americans will be able to parse the complexity of this situation, but I suspect a huge swath of the MAGA crowd will just repeat whatever the dear leader says and that will build animosity on both sides.
Not far from it, Ian, though the more direct attacks on my Canadian FB are on Trump. Flip side, "Buy Canadian" boosters have "flooded the zone". I know for myself, i won't be visiting USA any time soon.
While I don’t pretend to speak for all Canadians, believe it is well understood here the Trump gang does not represent the majority of Americans in spite of his claims. Just as should this country elect Pierre Pollievre it will not be the choice of the majority of mindful people. The U.S. is not alone in facing challenges of an ill-informed voting public and the rise of the extreme right. While of course much more complicated as to why, we look to Paul Krugman and others for the analyses, seems to us in your case the worst that can happen has happened. We are not fair-weather friends, will weather these tariffs, worry much more that the Trump/Vance impact on climate change, environment, wildlife will be irreversible. .
That's one of the many things that worries me. Will we ever be able to repair the damage? Assuming the Clown in Chief doesn't drive us into extinction, it could take many decades to recover from this idiocracy.
He represents a fairly sizable chunk of America. It's time of call a spider a spade. Some Americans are closet racists, and poorly educated. Some prefer to believe that their personal religion is the ONLY right religion and should imposed on everyone.
Unfortunately, for the time being Trump is America, and the damage he does reflects directly on us, because we couldn’t hold him to account for his high crimes and misdemeanors, and so instead we elected him president. So, Trump is, as much as I hate saying or even thinking it, America. Going from riches to rags, for most of us. If you’re reading this and you’re one of those 1% oligarchs, please don’t turn your back on us. Remember who contributed, wittingly or unwittingly, to your exalted status, and return the favor. What’s in it for you? Probably nothing. And if you do it anonymously, so much the better. You’ll still be rich, you shouldn’t need to give it all away, just share with those whose lives can be made more comfortable. If it’s at all possible, volunteer without giving yourself away. Your return rewards will be psychic rather than material, and in the end you will be much happier.
I'm just in the 1% by wealth and I will never give money to a US charity again because there could be Trump supporters. I was talking with some friends from grad school (all in the 1%) recently and they all felt the same. Now that pure evil has won we all say fuck it I'm just out for myself now. I love it that the GOP is planning on cutting as much aid as they can. Trump won 85% of the poor counties where 40% or more of income is from government spending. A bunch of poor Trump supporters were interviewed and they are so stupid and ignorant they think Trump will save the spending they depend on. No, tax cuts for the wealthy and corporations mean the GOP is going to slash support for the rural counties that elected him. Yes! Make these evil creatures (Trump is a racist and racism is a binary evil so by the rules of logic anyone who supports Trump is evil) suffer!
Boo-hoo. You voted him in. In what sense does the president of the country not represent the country? Don't want your credit. We are all pretty angry at America.
Tell me about it, the only time I encountered any anti American sentiment while living in Canada, was during the Bush ll years, and I hastened to explain I agreed with them.
If Putin were able to place a paid agent in the WH, would he do anything differently from what DJT is doing to destroy American credibility and economic power?
I don't think that's really true though. Most people *do* have preconceptions about people they meet from other countries. If you travel abroad as an American, you'll find yourself generally greeted different ways in different countries, based on impressions of American culture, the historical relationship, and recent events.
In August, Canada applied a 100% tariff on EVs entering from China - including Teslas. It has occurred to me that hitting Canada hard may be Elon's retaliation against Canada and not a show of force by Trump.
Did not know that. It makes total sense. That fact needs to be highlighted. Canada controls 90% of the heating oil used in Maine. Maybe not such a good idea to aggravate them.
It appears more purple than blue. To get really blue you have to come to the West Coast, and even here we have pockets of MAGA cult members. The sad part is Confederate ideology has taken over rural areas of old Union states, with Maine being just one of many examples.
Or floods in our beautiful North Carolina mountains. And so, (ill)Logical Donny is scheming to get rid of FEMA and let states fend for themselves. And with the (un)Supreme Court giving him essentially unfettered power, and voters giving him a (they’ll live to regret it) trifecta in the election, can we really stop him? Aren’t We The People the boss, the hiring authority? Apparently not.
Teslas are also made in North America aren't they ? Probably at a much higher cost. So importing them is a form of dumping that puts the squeeze on his own US division. One his Shanghai plant is up and running, he may close his North American plants. The Canadians would understand this. Not sure Trump does or anyone who thinks this will be good for US manufacturing. Musk is not MAGA. He is an internationalist. And he has a Chinese car company.
Teslas sold to/in Canada would presumably also come from the US. The main argument in the leader post was that Musk may have an animus against Canada because of the EV tariffs; that doesn't seem convincing to me.
The ev tariff was done by both Canada and the US. Teslas built in the US wouldn’t have any tariff restrictions sent into Canada. This isn’t about musk getting back at Canada, it is merely about an Authoritarian government acting out.
Teslas sold in Canada come from Tesla's factories in Shanghai, China and Fremont, California. The source of a specific Tesla depends on the model and the manufacturing date.:
Model 3
Tesla has imported Model 3s from both Shanghai and Fremont to Canada. The VIN for a Model 3 made in Fremont starts with 5YJ.
Model Y
Tesla has supplied Canada with Model Ys made in Fremont. Giga Shanghai is building a refreshed Model Y with new wheels and ambient lighting.
Tariffs:
In October 2023, Canada imposed a 100% tariff on electric vehicles (EVs) made in China. This tariff was in response to the tariffs imposed by the United States on Chinese EVs. (Canada and US are friends then)
Manufacturing location:
Customers can request the manufacturing location of their Tesla from the company or by using their vehicle identification number (VIN).
Bear in mind, it isn’t just tariffs on entire vehicles; even if they are assembled in the US there will be tariffs on parts that have to be imported in order to assemble the cars. No matter what, they will cost us more, and not hurt the Chinese in any meaningful way.
And plus the enormous Shanghai "Megafactory" site for Tesla batteries...Elno's business interests are massively entwined within US and China, and you bet he's claimed real estate in tRump's ear to warn him off daily against angering the PRC with stupidly punitive tariffs.
Yes, but it's easy for us to wish for them to take a huge economic hit by fighting back. We won't suffer the job losses and damage if they shut off sales of oil to the US.
They're better off being quiet and subservient, then finding new buyers for their products and getting as far away from us as possible. We aren't reliable.
Trump is violating the trade agreements that he supposedly set in place.
The rhetoric from Canadian politicians does not sound like they are felling subservient. Since our own politicians are bending over to kiss his ass, I can’t presume to tell another country what to do. But I hope they tell him to shove it. No one wins.
I will say this, FOTUS has managed to unite a lot of Canadians. At this time, I have never seen so many pro Canadian advertisements. Boycotting all US goods, etc. It is unbelievable. Most of my friends are not going to the US. Many people from other countries are not spending one dime in the States. The tourism will suffer. No more shopping trips to LL Bean or grocery stores. Some businesses are putting US Products in the back of grocery shelves, etc. This is happening all over. Ontario is threatening to withhold the hydro . Canadians are PISSED!🇨🇦
We’ll see. If it comes to a point where Trump doesn’t feel he needs Elon anymore, yes then it might be the Trump justice dept. that does the indicting. Although I imagine SpaceX is a key player in Trump’s grand plan to inhabit Mars, claim it as part of the US. The great state of Mars!
Not to mention Tesla - and no doubt X-man's other companies - source a lot of raw materials from China. He wouldn't want that supply summarily cut off.
Occam’s razor. The simplest explanation for anything Trump does is that he thinks it benefits him. It doesn’t have to make sense to anyone else. We are dealing with a sociopath after all.
He is a petulant child, and is mad that Canada and Mexico are both verbally defying him. He cannot allow this so he turns to retribution on anyone who opposes him. In other words, he is having a hissy fit and tantrum just as a child would do when they do not get their way.
Canada isn't even defying him. He hasn't asked for anything. He hints at crazy reasons: little fentanyl and "migrants" head south from here. Canada is making a show to solve the non-problem.
Meanwhile, a large percentage of gun crime in Canada involves guns illegally smuggled from the US.
Isn't most of the fentanyl produced in China? While Trump goes on about Mexico and fentanyl a lot of it is brought into the United States by our own citizens. Would be nice if some day we here some factually based arguments out of Trump and his minions.
According to the Congressional Research people (if they still are employed today), most is made in labs in Mexico from precursor chemicals made in China.
As a Canadian maybe I am a touch paranoid when ignorance is the actual reason. BUT the right wing sees our mostly progressive, healthy nation right next door as a threatening model.
I'm increasingly of the opinion Trump's ludicrous obsession with tariffs is mainly about money for the government: Trump really, actually thinks tariffs are a great tool to drive more revenue. Which he knows he needs if he is to simultaneously cut taxes, increase defense spending, and avoid inflation—especially as he's unwilling to touch Social Security and Medicare (and even if he were willing Congress isn't). So, he probably asked his people who our biggest trade partners (ie, targets for tariffs) are, and they told him Canada and Mexico.
The other part is his generally troglodytic views on trade. It seems clear he really is an unreformed mercantilist at heart: buying from foreigners is bad! Trump seems to think if we but tax imports with sufficient vigor, we'll enter a new golden age of prosperity and balanced budgets.
So, with respect to Canada, at least, the Fentanyl thing was just a ruse to justify his lunatic trade policies. The whole thing is bonkers. And as for going light on China? That's easy: Trump's a bully, and like all bullies he's afraid of picking on the strong. He figures hitting Mexico and Canada hard won't result in much blowback. I suspect he's about to find out he's wrong.
I did read it, and also did searches of the PDF. On what page do you see SS being at risk? I can’t find it, and only some references to raising the retirement age. Please provide the data for your comment. If it’s true I want to reread the document and need the pages referenced. Use the document page numbering not the PDF page numbering as they are different.
We shouldn't underestimate his ignorance. I read that he ordered the Army Core of Engineers to release water from Central California dams to get water to LA. He doesn't understand there's a huge mountain range between them. The water that should be saved for farmers in the summer is/was being flushed out to the sea.
Massive ignorance is bipartisan. The billion dollar fund for a high speed rail from Bakersfield to Modesto is crazy. Again, there's a big mountain range between the central valley and the LA basin. Take a billion dollars and set up a Pacific coast bus line like Mega or Bolt bus that they have back east.
It seems obvious that these "coins" and Trump businesses are merely conduits to receive bribes. The FBI purges are designed to make sure that these things are never investigated. Our constitutional system depends on having people in government with principles and integrity is not equipped to deal with the obsequiousness of an entire political party to this kind of criminality.
Democrats and Democratic PACs need to file lawsuits. Lots of them. Then we need to unite around Democrats in the midterms. It's the only way to stop this.
In the past, Trump's strategy was always to keep things tied up in court until his opponents ran out of money. I'm afraid he will keep signing executive orders until nobody can afford to sue any longer.
Thank you. Is it worth remembering that Canada runs a trade deficit in services to the US? The US sells more movies, music, tourism and IP licenses to Canada than the reverse. So the overall trade situation with Canada and the US is even more balanced than a pure focus on goods would suggest.
From the American lens, trade with Canada is balanced
Based on Statistics Canada data, Canada’s merchandise trade surplus with the U.S. last year was on track to reach C$100 billion. That equates to 3.2% of Canadian GDP.
The U.S., however, enjoys an edge in services trade, mainly related to Canadians flowing over the American border. This impact shrinks the trade surplus to C$85 billion, or 2.8% of Canadian GDP (Chart 3).
Looking at the trade situation from the U.S. lens yields smaller figures, partly reflecting different data measurement. Applying Census Bureau figures, the U.S. is on track to record a trade deficit with Canada of roughly US$45 billion in 2024 (or a mere -0.2% of U.S. GDP). In Canadian dollars at the spot rate, this would amount to $65 billion.
and if you count the 'current account', including cash flows, the US benefits hugely because of the proportion of the Canadian economy owned by Americans. So profilts made in Canada are often repatriated. So the trade in goods, or even services, is only part of the picture.
I agree, it's dominance and big d*** swinging, he's shown himself this time around to absolutely love bullying small countries (Denmark, Panama) or allies (Canada, Mexico). Add in a dose of Musk inspired corruption and... here we are.
I can tell you this is irreparably poisoning the Americana well in Canada. Some will have trouble conflating their ill will towards the Trump regime with American citizens.
Trump was democratically elected. His presidency, as deplorable as I find it, represents a majority of the electorate. The world is correct to blame us. We're not like the Palestinians who lived under a terrorist regime. We're not like the Russians or Chinese who don't really have a choice of who their autocratic rulers are, but we did.
I am ashamed of the actions of our government and the millions of citizens who were happily duped.
Actually, it represents a majority of the electoral college - the worst idea the framers have conceived. We need to do away with it.
It was likely a good idea in another time, a way of solving a problem. Now it has itself become a problem. A not so easily solved problem, mainly because of politics.
Yeah, or at least it >seemed< like a good idea at the time. They couldn't imagine the likes of Trump coming along.
It was a compromise to the slave-owning southerners, who did not live in cities where the majority of the population was. It was a way to give the landowners more power.
The Electoral College was formed to ensure the slave states had as much or more power than the free states. Do you really think that was a good idea?
Yes the cult. The Joe Rogan, Charlie Kirk,magas, Elon Musk, Wwg1wga,WWF and the others ( think Trump controls the economy) are all in for our government to end…
Well FAFO…….
Trump also won the popular vote this time around.
That is true - but by a pretty slim margin. He won a plurality, not a majority. Thanks in part to third party candidates like RFK jr.
Oh, and as mentioned elsewhere, voter suppression played a pretty significant role as well.
It doesn’t matter. A vote for treason by definition is not a valid vote.
Yeah, that's true, isn't it? Unfortunately, it is a legal vote.
I am sorry Sharon. It is hard enough here in Canada to understand why people would elect him. You must be in deep mourning for your country.
1/2 our country voted for Harris/Walz and a lot of lazy people sat home and didn’t vote at all. Civic minded people are hard to find. The education system does not promote civic engagement or education and they are making it even worse. Parents need to make sure their kids are registered and know their representatives and how they vote Local, State and Federal! Explaining that lawmakers run the country and they can have a say so. Until then we suffer and hope we have a chance to get back to a country that works together to have all participating in a good quality of life!!! The hate in this administration is palpable. Firing experts and civil servants because you want to have only yes men is pure evil…..
Thank you! He only squeaked by with 1.5%, More did not vote, than voted for him. They were victims of Russian propaganda and a complicit corporately owned media who sane-washed the porcine obscenity.
100 percent!!
The regime the Palestinians live under is the colonial one based in occupied Jerusalem. They are indeed a terrorist regime starting with the terrorism they enacted on Palestinians in 1948. Welcome to the resistance.
90 million eligible voters did not vote. Voter suppression was definitely at play.
How many polling places received bomb threats???
https://substack.com/home/post/p-156246340
I hope that people can separate the government from the people, hard though it may be. Those of us who support Israel and detest Netanyahu have been doing it for years.
Why should they? Outside the US, the only thing that matters is US policy, not the fact that some Americans didn't vote for Trump. Ian Clarke is right; the ill will towards Americans in Canada right now is unprecedented.
and as Margaret Atwood has said (roughly), most Americans are benignly ignorant of Canada, but most Canadians are maliciously well-informed about the USA. She also described the Canada/US border as the world's longest one-way mirror.
I hadn't known that Atwood quote. It's too true for comfort.
True, my Canadian husband knows way more Us culture, and history than most of us here in the states.
That is unfortunate - for both countries.
Absolutely. There is an adage, a country gets the government they deserve!
The solution is simple: Trump/GOP are strictly pay-to-play. Just get a few big Canadian businessmen or corporations to cough up $25million or greater checks to Trump and/or GOP politicians. Or some of their pet PAC's and charities.
Jeff Yass donated $49million to Trump/GOP in the '24 election cycle, and got the TikTok ban reversed. Musk coughed up $250 million--plus tens of millions more in kind, by relegating X to the service of Trump/GOP--and only saw a mere 10% tariff increase on Tesla's China supply chain.
I think the work is harder than what you have described. Americans have allowed your political system to be attacked and eroded over many decades and you are now at the point where your ‘elected’ government is both corrupt and not able to co-exist peacefully with others -other politicians, other sovereign states, other media. Adding more graft to the table doesn’t solve the problem though it may temporarily relieve the discomfort - until the next time a new policy is mused into existence. America is demonstrating that its signature on an agreement is worth little. Your civil service is being decimated and replaced with loyal subjects, and you are now beginning to abuse your trusted partner nations. Sound familiar? Playbook recently updated by Putin. You are being subjected to the slow death by 1000 cuts, and the rest of us are getting dragged into this. We can’t fix your politics or your politicians. That is the very hard work that you have to do.
Canadian here. Your suggestion, facetious as it may be, will bankrupt us as assuredly as Trump's tariffs will, with the additional injury of destroying whatever is left of our soul. Every single oligarch and corporation that has purchased itself power with Trump is a ghoul; turning a nation's character into such a monster is beyond the pale. America has to save itself, and so does Canada.
There’s no reason for the Canucks to have friendly feelings toward any of us. They know now that (1) half of our country are nihilistic selfish democracy-doubters and (2) the rest of us can’t control the knuckle-draggers. We’ve lost a friend.
This is horrible. I hope it's not permanent. I'm not criticizing Canadians for being angry at these stupid actions by Trump. I'm expressing the wish that we can reestablish our longstanding friendship when this monster finally leaves office.
That's a good point. It is encouraging to see many Americans becoming incensed at what is happening in their country AND what the Trump regime is doing to its allies. If you give up that fight though, most Canadians will lose faith in an America they thought they knew. It's true that probably a higher percentage of Canadians than Americans have a decent understanding of what is going on in the US; we have to be that vigilant because you are so much more powerful than we are. I hope my American friends and cousins will be resolute and fight the good fight, for all of our sakes.
You have lost me and I was a good friend.
Oh, I'm sure people are wise and would be as capable to separate the government of the USA from its people as they are separating, say, the government of Russia from its people. Poor Russians, they have absolutely nothing to do with Putin... I mean, Americans, with Trump.
Look at this way: if Putin died or was deposed and a democratic leader took his place, would we still consider Russia an enemy? I get why other countries will be anti-American for the moment. I'm hoping that when -- please! -- the Trump Error finally is over the breaks aren't permanent.
Unfortunately, among the things Trump has broken are the treaties and agreements the US is signatory to. No country can ever trust the United States ever again because even after Trump is gone, it is now clear that any half-witted demagogue like him can simply repudiate any agreement, any alliance, any treaty.
Sadly I can't disagree. Convicted Felon Trump is doing HORRIFIC damage. It will take many, many years to re-earn that trust.
As a Canadian I say that America can only punch us in the face so many times before we realize America is no longer our friend.
There is a realization in Canada that it is different this time and we need to chart a path away from the USA.
Can Canada and Mexico jointly sue Dump and the US Government for breach of contract (NAFTA)?
I would love for the Senate Democrats to bring suit against Trump for abrogating treaties he is bound to uphold by the black-letter Constitution.
But I'm also afraid that the current Supreme Court would simply hold that the entire Constitution, with the exception of the last few words of the Second Amendment, is unconstitutional and thus void.
the actual terms of NAFTA/USMEXCA (or whatever) about when tariffs may be applied and how the dispute resolution processes work have been remarkably absent from any discussions of Trump's actions. Maybe it's because everybody knows he is not bound by laws or by contracts, even (or maybe especially) ones he has made himself.
Well, I don't know about you, but here in the Eastern Europe we sure as hell would still consider Russia an enemy. I mean, not a fighting enemy, but it wasn't Putin who took a gun and went to kill people for money; it wasn't Putin who built all those drones, bombs and missiles that fall at Ukrainian cities and it isn't Putin who reports to authorities about anyone in Russia trying to say that may be they shouldn't do it.
I mean, it's not even majority of Russians who do it, and still it'll take a generation to calm things down here. And as for Americans, well, it is definitely a majority of you who either voted for Trump or stayed home. Everything he does is on you. I mean, I'm not Canadian, but if I were, I wouldn't forget in a hurry.
Not on me. I've voted against him in every election. I don't believe in collective guilt. You sound like the antisemites who want to blame all Jews for Netanyahu.
*shrug* or like Jews who blame every Palestinian for terrorism. Yeah. That's human nature for you. You may not believe in collective guilt, but it won't stop others from believing in it.
We didn’t really treat Russia all that well when they were, briefly, a nascent democracy. We did what we so often do, to our discredit: We started them on the road to democracy, and then essentially wished them good luck and walked away. And we left a vacuum for Putin to exploit - we didn’t create Putin, but we sure enabled him. That is a problem our system creates for us, because we have earned a reputation of being inconstant, especially in the recent past with the starkly terrifying contrast between Obama and Trump, then the hopeful contrast between Trump and Biden, and now the glaringly, alarmingly terrifying contrast between Biden and Trump. No wonder our allies don’t feel they can trust us. Because they can’t. America is apparently feckless. And if Trump did some damage in his first term, that’s nothing compared to what he intends to do now. He’s just getting started, and I’m not so sure seat belts will help. Not in a hellscape, not in Mad Max Thunderdome world. Will our institutions hold? We will see, but I’m less than optimistic.
I hear you. He's a criminal grifter narcissist. But he's also a self-absorbed incompetent who overreaches. The midterms can't come soon enough. (And the lower courts, at least, seem to be holding... so far.)
It's remarkable how its an article of faith among liberals that the Russian seizure of Crimea in 2014 and the invasion of ukraine in 2022 are a product of one mans personal ambitions as opposed to say a countries strategic interests or state decision making processes that incorporate inputs from diverse stakeholders. It seems to be borderline racist (the trope of Asiatic Russia used as far back as Napoleon) or alternatively just a product of shallow lazy thinking.
What is the evidence of "inputs from diverse stakeholders" in Russian decision making?
No!
I'm crossing my fingers while hoping you're right.
One hopes that Americans will be able to parse the complexity of this situation, but I suspect a huge swath of the MAGA crowd will just repeat whatever the dear leader says and that will build animosity on both sides.
what in the nakba denial is this comment
Not far from it, Ian, though the more direct attacks on my Canadian FB are on Trump. Flip side, "Buy Canadian" boosters have "flooded the zone". I know for myself, i won't be visiting USA any time soon.
Dump FB and X
While I don’t pretend to speak for all Canadians, believe it is well understood here the Trump gang does not represent the majority of Americans in spite of his claims. Just as should this country elect Pierre Pollievre it will not be the choice of the majority of mindful people. The U.S. is not alone in facing challenges of an ill-informed voting public and the rise of the extreme right. While of course much more complicated as to why, we look to Paul Krugman and others for the analyses, seems to us in your case the worst that can happen has happened. We are not fair-weather friends, will weather these tariffs, worry much more that the Trump/Vance impact on climate change, environment, wildlife will be irreversible. .
❤️so true. Many of us voted blue and live in red states
That's one of the many things that worries me. Will we ever be able to repair the damage? Assuming the Clown in Chief doesn't drive us into extinction, it could take many decades to recover from this idiocracy.
What was it Dubya said? "Fool me once, shame on me; fool me twice... won't get fooled again."
That was his moment of greatest clarity.
Really, when it comes to malapropisms, Trump Trumps Dubya - that's no small accomplishment.
Doubtful!
Now, now. Let's >try< to be optimistic Ok, maybe not..
Give Canada some credit. Trump is not America.
He represents a fairly sizable chunk of America. It's time of call a spider a spade. Some Americans are closet racists, and poorly educated. Some prefer to believe that their personal religion is the ONLY right religion and should imposed on everyone.
Seems that most of the racists are out of the closet now.
Why did those racists elect Barack Obama twice before Trump v1.
Unfortunately, for the time being Trump is America, and the damage he does reflects directly on us, because we couldn’t hold him to account for his high crimes and misdemeanors, and so instead we elected him president. So, Trump is, as much as I hate saying or even thinking it, America. Going from riches to rags, for most of us. If you’re reading this and you’re one of those 1% oligarchs, please don’t turn your back on us. Remember who contributed, wittingly or unwittingly, to your exalted status, and return the favor. What’s in it for you? Probably nothing. And if you do it anonymously, so much the better. You’ll still be rich, you shouldn’t need to give it all away, just share with those whose lives can be made more comfortable. If it’s at all possible, volunteer without giving yourself away. Your return rewards will be psychic rather than material, and in the end you will be much happier.
I'm just in the 1% by wealth and I will never give money to a US charity again because there could be Trump supporters. I was talking with some friends from grad school (all in the 1%) recently and they all felt the same. Now that pure evil has won we all say fuck it I'm just out for myself now. I love it that the GOP is planning on cutting as much aid as they can. Trump won 85% of the poor counties where 40% or more of income is from government spending. A bunch of poor Trump supporters were interviewed and they are so stupid and ignorant they think Trump will save the spending they depend on. No, tax cuts for the wealthy and corporations mean the GOP is going to slash support for the rural counties that elected him. Yes! Make these evil creatures (Trump is a racist and racism is a binary evil so by the rules of logic anyone who supports Trump is evil) suffer!
There probably some Canadian charities that could make good use of your donations.
Boo-hoo. You voted him in. In what sense does the president of the country not represent the country? Don't want your credit. We are all pretty angry at America.
This American is pretty angry at America, too! A lot of good it does…
Why are you pretending to be from Canada?
off topic
I'm there. They voted for him knowing, knowing-I have disgust for all Americans.
Tell me about it, the only time I encountered any anti American sentiment while living in Canada, was during the Bush ll years, and I hastened to explain I agreed with them.
We spend quite a bit of time in Quebec each year and in our experience the people we meet are as kind and welcoming as they have always been.
If Putin were able to place a paid agent in the WH, would he do anything differently from what DJT is doing to destroy American credibility and economic power?
It is always my go to question. How does this benefit Putin? Your answer to that often aligns with a Trump action.
No. And Trump has been paid. Deutsche Bank has lots of Russian money.
Why should Putin pay for an agent when his Orange Baby will do it for free?
So true. Alienating us from our peaceful neighbors is effing strategic to weaken USA
Liberal Putin-derangement syndrome strikes again. Right up there with Khamas derangement syndrome.
Interesting how you didn't answer the question. Why not?
You will soon be friendless
In the words of Beau of the Fifth Column, "Countries don't have friends. They have interests."
I don't think that's really true though. Most people *do* have preconceptions about people they meet from other countries. If you travel abroad as an American, you'll find yourself generally greeted different ways in different countries, based on impressions of American culture, the historical relationship, and recent events.
I’m not talking about nations
I was distraught when you left NYT, but I am so happy you are able and willing to continue to publish your insights elsewhere.
💯💯💯
Because Elon Musk has a factory there and China is a large market for Tesla. Elon will be mad if he does anything to China.
In August, Canada applied a 100% tariff on EVs entering from China - including Teslas. It has occurred to me that hitting Canada hard may be Elon's retaliation against Canada and not a show of force by Trump.
Did not know that. It makes total sense. That fact needs to be highlighted. Canada controls 90% of the heating oil used in Maine. Maybe not such a good idea to aggravate them.
Isn't Maine a blue state? Why would Trump or his followers care if they froze, any more than they care about fire victims in California?
It appears more purple than blue. To get really blue you have to come to the West Coast, and even here we have pockets of MAGA cult members. The sad part is Confederate ideology has taken over rural areas of old Union states, with Maine being just one of many examples.
Actually, to get really blue, they'd have to ditch Susan Collins.
Or floods in our beautiful North Carolina mountains. And so, (ill)Logical Donny is scheming to get rid of FEMA and let states fend for themselves. And with the (un)Supreme Court giving him essentially unfettered power, and voters giving him a (they’ll live to regret it) trifecta in the election, can we really stop him? Aren’t We The People the boss, the hiring authority? Apparently not.
Think of all the electricity Hydro Quebec, likely also Newfound/Labrador Hydro exports into eastern USA.
Teslas are also made in North America aren't they ? Probably at a much higher cost. So importing them is a form of dumping that puts the squeeze on his own US division. One his Shanghai plant is up and running, he may close his North American plants. The Canadians would understand this. Not sure Trump does or anyone who thinks this will be good for US manufacturing. Musk is not MAGA. He is an internationalist. And he has a Chinese car company.
I’d say Musk isn’t MAGA he’s MEGALO as in Maglomaniac
Aren't the Canadian tariffs on Chinese EVs identical to the American ones?
Mrs Freeland has proposed, this week, to impose a tariff of 100% to all Teslas. It's actually an excellent idea.
I don't know for sure, but Tesla has 2 factories in the USA - Fremont CA and Austin TX. I'm assuming that's where all Canadian Teslas are created.
44,000 Teslas were imported to Canada from China as of 2023.
The US has a 100% tariff on China EVs too. But, I don't know if any Tesla cars come to the US from China.
Teslas sold to/in Canada would presumably also come from the US. The main argument in the leader post was that Musk may have an animus against Canada because of the EV tariffs; that doesn't seem convincing to me.
Yes!
Good point
The ev tariff was done by both Canada and the US. Teslas built in the US wouldn’t have any tariff restrictions sent into Canada. This isn’t about musk getting back at Canada, it is merely about an Authoritarian government acting out.
Not Teslas, yet, but stand by. https://www.ctvnews.ca/politics/liberal-leadership/article/chrystia-freeland-says-canada-should-target-elon-musks-tesla-in-a-tariff-fight/
Aren’t the Teslas sold in Canada made in US plants?
Teslas sold in Canada come from Tesla's factories in Shanghai, China and Fremont, California. The source of a specific Tesla depends on the model and the manufacturing date.:
Model 3
Tesla has imported Model 3s from both Shanghai and Fremont to Canada. The VIN for a Model 3 made in Fremont starts with 5YJ.
Model Y
Tesla has supplied Canada with Model Ys made in Fremont. Giga Shanghai is building a refreshed Model Y with new wheels and ambient lighting.
Tariffs:
In October 2023, Canada imposed a 100% tariff on electric vehicles (EVs) made in China. This tariff was in response to the tariffs imposed by the United States on Chinese EVs. (Canada and US are friends then)
Manufacturing location:
Customers can request the manufacturing location of their Tesla from the company or by using their vehicle identification number (VIN).
Informative!
Bear in mind, it isn’t just tariffs on entire vehicles; even if they are assembled in the US there will be tariffs on parts that have to be imported in order to assemble the cars. No matter what, they will cost us more, and not hurt the Chinese in any meaningful way.
Canada imported 44,000 Teslas from China in 2023. I don't know the number made in the US (in whole or in part).
Interesting! Sound theory then.
We are now living in the United States of Tesla.
Well not exactly. But it is pretty annoying. I pity people who have them because they were trying to be environmentally responsible.
They still can be. The just need to recycle them.
Here in Seattle they are a frequent target of vandalism now
More like Twitter just after the hostile takeover. Same MO, now applied to the US Treasury and Office of Personnel Management.
Good thought
And plus the enormous Shanghai "Megafactory" site for Tesla batteries...Elno's business interests are massively entwined within US and China, and you bet he's claimed real estate in tRump's ear to warn him off daily against angering the PRC with stupidly punitive tariffs.
Yes, but I hear the fentanyl will be duty free.
Because Trump looks strong when he stands next to Canada and weak when he stands next to China.
Personally, I think he looks weak no matter who he stands next to.
I fervently hope Canada takes an aggressive position.
Yes, but it's easy for us to wish for them to take a huge economic hit by fighting back. We won't suffer the job losses and damage if they shut off sales of oil to the US.
They're better off being quiet and subservient, then finding new buyers for their products and getting as far away from us as possible. We aren't reliable.
Trump is violating the trade agreements that he supposedly set in place.
The rhetoric from Canadian politicians does not sound like they are felling subservient. Since our own politicians are bending over to kiss his ass, I can’t presume to tell another country what to do. But I hope they tell him to shove it. No one wins.
I will say this, FOTUS has managed to unite a lot of Canadians. At this time, I have never seen so many pro Canadian advertisements. Boycotting all US goods, etc. It is unbelievable. Most of my friends are not going to the US. Many people from other countries are not spending one dime in the States. The tourism will suffer. No more shopping trips to LL Bean or grocery stores. Some businesses are putting US Products in the back of grocery shelves, etc. This is happening all over. Ontario is threatening to withhold the hydro . Canadians are PISSED!🇨🇦
1. US put 100% tariff on cars from China.
2. Tesla stopped shipping cars from China to US. Shipped only Chinese Teslas to Canada.
3. Canada put 100% tariff on cars from China to match US (Canada and US have an integrated auto industry since 1965 Auto Pact).
Eventually the truth will emerge—it almost always does— and Musk may be indicted as an unregistered foreign agent.
Trump's justice department will probably do the indicting. Musk already gets far too much attention to suit Trump.
You're giving Trump too much agency. Musk and Putin are calling the shots. Trump's only real domain is retribution.
We’ll see. If it comes to a point where Trump doesn’t feel he needs Elon anymore, yes then it might be the Trump justice dept. that does the indicting. Although I imagine SpaceX is a key player in Trump’s grand plan to inhabit Mars, claim it as part of the US. The great state of Mars!
He should be deported regardless. Along with the whole Murdoch clan.
Not to mention Tesla - and no doubt X-man's other companies - source a lot of raw materials from China. He wouldn't want that supply summarily cut off.
That is why the tariff is only 10%
Exactly.
Occam’s razor. The simplest explanation for anything Trump does is that he thinks it benefits him. It doesn’t have to make sense to anyone else. We are dealing with a sociopath after all.
Josh Marshall of Talking Points Memo came up with the often-handy "Trump's Razor" a few years ago:
"All other being equal, whatever the question concerning Trump, the stupidest explanation is likely to be the correct one."
lol Occam might be laughing "in his grave"
How does shutting down the US auto industry help Trump?
It might help Musk in the US, but other countries are going to retaliate against his cars.
There is only one rational explanation: Corruption.
While ignoring Damocles' sword.
Because bullies target those they think they can push around.
Canada and Canadians will not roll over.
I'm not accusing him of thinking correctly.
Its the corruption. He is cruel to Canada because China is paying him more ( buying more $Orangemancoins.
His merch is made in China. https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/thousands-of-trump-bibles-were-printed-in-china-as-he-campaigned-against-trade-practices
He is a petulant child, and is mad that Canada and Mexico are both verbally defying him. He cannot allow this so he turns to retribution on anyone who opposes him. In other words, he is having a hissy fit and tantrum just as a child would do when they do not get their way.
Canada isn't even defying him. He hasn't asked for anything. He hints at crazy reasons: little fentanyl and "migrants" head south from here. Canada is making a show to solve the non-problem.
Meanwhile, a large percentage of gun crime in Canada involves guns illegally smuggled from the US.
Isn't most of the fentanyl produced in China? While Trump goes on about Mexico and fentanyl a lot of it is brought into the United States by our own citizens. Would be nice if some day we here some factually based arguments out of Trump and his minions.
According to the Congressional Research people (if they still are employed today), most is made in labs in Mexico from precursor chemicals made in China.
https://crsreports.congress.gov/product/pdf/IF/IF10400#:~:text=At%20present%2C%20most%20U.S.%2Ddestined,from%20certain%20countries%2C%20including%20China.
Thanks for the clarification.
No can do. That would be tantamount to confessing to a multitude of crimes.
Professor — you left out that one of his largest megadonors, Jeff Yass, has a major stake in TikTok. Their meeting is likely the primary reason for President Trump flipping his position on banning the app after signing an executive order in his first term attempting to ban it. https://www.inquirer.com/politics/election/jeff-yass-donald-trump-truth-social-pennsylvania-politics-20240322.html
Precisely,
China doesn’t play by the rules of the WTO
( world trade organization)
Trump doesn’t play by the rules of the US Constitution
A perfect match.
As a Canadian maybe I am a touch paranoid when ignorance is the actual reason. BUT the right wing sees our mostly progressive, healthy nation right next door as a threatening model.
I hear many Americans travel to Canada to purchase affordable pharmaceuticals. Maybe that's the sort of drugs flows that's Trump really hates.
Yes. I think that's true. Trump hates Canada because it's a functioning liberal democracy. He's also a bully.
Kind of like one of the reasons why the Kremlin hates Ukraine.
True.
If I was Canada or Mexico I would impose tariffs on the US until it stopping the sending of guns across the borders.
The problem is that many guns are smuggled across the border. Still, it's a counter that is not heard enough: USA, stop that illegal traffic!
I'm increasingly of the opinion Trump's ludicrous obsession with tariffs is mainly about money for the government: Trump really, actually thinks tariffs are a great tool to drive more revenue. Which he knows he needs if he is to simultaneously cut taxes, increase defense spending, and avoid inflation—especially as he's unwilling to touch Social Security and Medicare (and even if he were willing Congress isn't). So, he probably asked his people who our biggest trade partners (ie, targets for tariffs) are, and they told him Canada and Mexico.
The other part is his generally troglodytic views on trade. It seems clear he really is an unreformed mercantilist at heart: buying from foreigners is bad! Trump seems to think if we but tax imports with sufficient vigor, we'll enter a new golden age of prosperity and balanced budgets.
So, with respect to Canada, at least, the Fentanyl thing was just a ruse to justify his lunatic trade policies. The whole thing is bonkers. And as for going light on China? That's easy: Trump's a bully, and like all bullies he's afraid of picking on the strong. He figures hitting Mexico and Canada hard won't result in much blowback. I suspect he's about to find out he's wrong.
If you read Project 2025, neither SS or Medicare are sacrosanct, either from DT or GOP congresspersons
indeed, those are also major targets of Freedom Caucus types.
I did read it, and also did searches of the PDF. On what page do you see SS being at risk? I can’t find it, and only some references to raising the retirement age. Please provide the data for your comment. If it’s true I want to reread the document and need the pages referenced. Use the document page numbering not the PDF page numbering as they are different.
True.
We shouldn't underestimate his ignorance. I read that he ordered the Army Core of Engineers to release water from Central California dams to get water to LA. He doesn't understand there's a huge mountain range between them. The water that should be saved for farmers in the summer is/was being flushed out to the sea.
Massive ignorance is bipartisan. The billion dollar fund for a high speed rail from Bakersfield to Modesto is crazy. Again, there's a big mountain range between the central valley and the LA basin. Take a billion dollars and set up a Pacific coast bus line like Mega or Bolt bus that they have back east.
I hope so!
It seems obvious that these "coins" and Trump businesses are merely conduits to receive bribes. The FBI purges are designed to make sure that these things are never investigated. Our constitutional system depends on having people in government with principles and integrity is not equipped to deal with the obsequiousness of an entire political party to this kind of criminality.
Democrats and Democratic PACs need to file lawsuits. Lots of them. Then we need to unite around Democrats in the midterms. It's the only way to stop this.
The ACLU is suing over 4 issues already. Hopefully they will sue over more.
In the past, Trump's strategy was always to keep things tied up in court until his opponents ran out of money. I'm afraid he will keep signing executive orders until nobody can afford to sue any longer.
That is a real concern. What else can stop him?
I assume you mean short of assassination?
Exactly. The grift is always the answer to every question about what they do and why.
Including all of his shell businesses created for money laundering and tax evasion.
Trumps rationale for this massive tariff on Canada is incoherent, and based on lies.
It is perplexing to understand an irrational actor.
So be it. America is now an enemy nation.
The tariffs help Elon Musk by making cars from Ford, GM, etc. prohibitively expensive.
Thank you. Is it worth remembering that Canada runs a trade deficit in services to the US? The US sells more movies, music, tourism and IP licenses to Canada than the reverse. So the overall trade situation with Canada and the US is even more balanced than a pure focus on goods would suggest.
From the American lens, trade with Canada is balanced
Based on Statistics Canada data, Canada’s merchandise trade surplus with the U.S. last year was on track to reach C$100 billion. That equates to 3.2% of Canadian GDP.
The U.S., however, enjoys an edge in services trade, mainly related to Canadians flowing over the American border. This impact shrinks the trade surplus to C$85 billion, or 2.8% of Canadian GDP (Chart 3).
Looking at the trade situation from the U.S. lens yields smaller figures, partly reflecting different data measurement. Applying Census Bureau figures, the U.S. is on track to record a trade deficit with Canada of roughly US$45 billion in 2024 (or a mere -0.2% of U.S. GDP). In Canadian dollars at the spot rate, this would amount to $65 billion.
and if you count the 'current account', including cash flows, the US benefits hugely because of the proportion of the Canadian economy owned by Americans. So profilts made in Canada are often repatriated. So the trade in goods, or even services, is only part of the picture.
I agree, it's dominance and big d*** swinging, he's shown himself this time around to absolutely love bullying small countries (Denmark, Panama) or allies (Canada, Mexico). Add in a dose of Musk inspired corruption and... here we are.
You're assuming he has a big d***. He has a big gut and a big butt, but I'd bet below that shrivels down to nothing.