The Diehard Optimist

The Diehard Optimist

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The Diehard Optimist
The Diehard Optimist
After Free Trade

After Free Trade

Far from collapsing Canada's economy, Trump's attacks may strengthen it

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Chris Alexander
Jun 13, 2025
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The Diehard Optimist
The Diehard Optimist
After Free Trade
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Back in the mists of time, when Justin Trudeau was prime minister, he told then president-elect Donald Trump over a November 29th dinner at Mar-a-Lago that 25 percent US tariffs on Canadian goods would cause our economy to collapse.

On December 3, Trump responded with this:

Since then, Trump has spoken or posted publicly about Canada as the 51st state every month, starting with this, after Chrystia Freeland resigned:

Two days later he posted this:

On January 7, 2025, Trump posted this:

Minister Dominic Leblanc tried to passed the Mar-a-Lago remark off as a joke – “entertaining and funny” banter over dinner. Trump apparently made plenty of ‘51st state’ and ‘governor Trudeau’ jibes during his first term, but never in public.

After Trump was inaugurated for a second time in February, Trudeau and Carney took the barbs more seriously. They both said, using a variety of formulations, that Trump’s aim was to weaken Canada so he could take it over.

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