Monday was a wild day at the New York Stock Exchange, as the markets reacted to Donald Trump’s moronic trade war. For years, racist idiots claimed that they voted for Trump because “he’s a businessman and he’ll be good for business.” He hasn’t been in office for three full weeks and he’s already tanking the American economy and planes are falling out of the sky. Yesterday, after insulting and denigrating our North American trade partners, drama queen Don made some “last minute deals” to pause his tariffs on Canada and Mexico for 30 days. Apparently, Mexico and Canada rooked the con man – they “promised” to deliver on things they were already doing and Trump took those deals to save face. However, the tariffs on Chinese goods have started, and China is already retaliating.
Beijing responded swiftly on Tuesday to the tariffs President Trump had promised, announcing a fusillade of countermeasures targeting American companies and imports of critical products. Mr. Trump’s 10 percent tariff on all Chinese products went into effect at 12:01 a.m. Tuesday, the result of an executive order issued over the weekend aimed at pressuring Beijing to crack down on fentanyl shipments into the United States.
The Chinese government came back with a series of retaliatory steps, including additional tariffs on liquefied natural gas, coal, farm machinery and other products from the United States. It also said it had implemented restrictions on the export of certain critical minerals, many of which are used in the production of high-tech products.
In addition, Chinese market regulators said they had launched an antimonopoly investigation into Google. Google is blocked from China’s internet, but the move may disrupt the company’s dealings with Chinese companies.
The U.S. tariffs, which Mr. Trump said on Monday were an “opening salvo,” come on top of levies that the president imposed during his first term. Many Chinese products already faced a 10 or 25 percent tariff, and the move adds a 10 percent tariff to more than $400 billion of goods that Americans purchase from China each year.
Mr. Trump had been planning to hit America’s three largest trading partners, Canada, Mexico and China, with tariffs of varying degrees. But after days of frantic negotiations, Mr. Trump agreed to pause the tariffs on Mexico and Canada for 30 days after the Canadian and Mexican governments promised to step up their oversight of fentanyl and the border.
But the price of eggs, amirite? Now Trump voters are falling all over themselves to justify Trump’s sh-tty economic policies and his tanking of the American economy. What’s sad is that the only thing which might stop Trump’s economic death spiral is the avarice of the Republican business class. Speaking of, Rupert Murdoch was in the Oval Office on Monday too – the Murdoch-owned Wall Street Journal has been very critical of Trump’s tariffs and his moronic economic policy. While Murdoch supports Trump in a general sense, apparently Murdoch can’t stand Trump on a personal level. I wonder if Murdoch was sent by the business contingent to tell Trump to settle down.
Photos courtesy of Cover Images.
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- United States President Donald J Trump signs executive orders in the Oval Office of the White House Featuring: Donald Trump Where: Washington, District of Columbia, United States When: 03 Feb 2025 Credit: POOL via CNP/INSTARimages.com
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- United States President Donald J Trump signs executive orders in the Oval Office of the White House Featuring: Donald Trump Where: Washington, District of Columbia, United States When: 03 Feb 2025 Credit: POOL via CNP/INSTARimages.com
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- Business magnate Rupert Murdoch watches as United States President Donald J Trump signs executive orders in the Oval Office of the White House Featuring: Rupert Murdoch Where: Washington, District of Columbia, United States When: 03 Feb 2025 Credit: POOL via CNP/INSTARimages.com
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- Business magnate Rupert Murdoch watches as United States President Donald J Trump signs executive orders in the Oval Office of the White House Featuring: Rupert Murdoch Where: Washington, District of Columbia, United States When: 03 Feb 2025 Credit: POOL via CNP/INSTARimages.com
Fcuking court jester just wanted to avoid prison and ride on Airforce One again. Grifter with not thing but Nazis and rapist telling him what to do. Alienated our allies and the countrymen of Canada are now on a boycott of American made products. Good job America.
Please remember not every American voted for Mango Mussolini.
But ALOT of people did. I am disgusted with this country.
The people who voted for Trump never thought his heinous policies would affect them until they woke up one day and found their SNAP and Medicaid benefits frozen. Welcome to “you got what you asked for.”
I didn’t either but majority did. Like they said, good job AMERICA. Maybe if people here had a better grasping of group projects we wouldn’t even be in this position.
Aquarius64: Please remember that a minority of Germans voted for Hitler. How did that work out for them?
I understand why this keeps getting said. I do. And we do remember.
But what Americans who didn’t vote for him or didn’t vote need to understand, is that it doesn’t matter.
After yesterday we are working on diversifying our trade away from the US. We are shifting efforts and focus to Canadian products and boycotting American ones where possible. We started last time he pulled this nonsense and it is now accelerating. And other nations are doing/will do the same. Now in the long run that will likely be good for Canada and other nations…not so much for the USA. We can’t ease off because “well many Americans are good!”.
You are still very much safe with us. But after that idiot whined for days making it sound like Canada has been beating up the USA every day and stealing your lunch? Canada? Well thanks for making us sound so strong, but I fear there are a lot of other, bigger, nations who very much feel the USA showed weakness. They are going to see an opportunity. Be careful out there.
Whether they wish to admit this or not, the people who didn’t vote also voted for Trump by proxy, because not voting is a tacit decision to accept or underwrite the vote of the majority, or the outcome of the election. I put them in the same boat as the Trumpers.
And then yesterday I read that one of the Grammy winners (the Helena Bonham Carter lookalike) who was being lauded for “looking out for the working class” and “speaking up for less fortunate artistes such as herself” is actually from a wealthy Long Island family, has never been “struggling” as she frequently presents. Worse yet, her family members are HUGE Trump supporters and loudly MAGA, and SHE spent the run-up to the election telling people NOT to vote – the same people who will now be affected by Trump’s policies???!!! Ugh.
@Magdalena agreed 100%. I see a lot of comments that are like “the majority of americans did not vote for him” and while that is technically true, I look at the 80 million+ who sat out the election and consider their silence a vote for him. they own this disaster as much as the people who actually did vote for him.
@Mia4S I don’t blame Canada one bit.
I saw something – can’t remember where now, I feel like it was a social media clip but no clue – about how Americans have long governed based on norms – legislative norms, executive norms, foreign trade norms, etc. There was a sense that something was done a certain way because that’s how it was done. We saw this torn apart to a large extent during his first term and now its just being completely destroyed. I would say that norms aren’t enough, we need guardrails and legal safeguards – but what do they matter if he’s just going to write an EO that says whatever he wants and no one will do anything about it?
Canadian here. My American friends, we know many of you don’t want this. My hope is for a future when our countries are getting along again. Take care of your selves!
Everyone please email your reps in Congress every day, be they Democrat or Republican. We can’t give up. They need to hear from us. They need to see public outcry. Maybe then they will step up and do something. We’re in a Constitutional crisis. An un-elected billionaire and his minions have access to all our personal info now that they’ve taken over the Treasury Dept’s computer systems. They have access to classified information.
There is updated advice on contacting your representatives: CALL – they can’t ignore phone calls by law. (more at 5calls.org)
Call Your Senators!!!!
Hi, I’m a constituent calling from [zip]. My name is ______. (script from chop wood, carry water)
I’m furious that Elon Musk, an unelected Ketamine user with no government experience, has taken over the Treasury Department system. He’s also given a bunch of college kids access to our most sensitive financial information. This is an illegal takeover of the federal government, and it’s got to be stopped. The Treasury is responsible for trillions of dollars in U.S. government payments for things like Social Security and Medicare. Millions of us depend on that money. It’s ours. [Give a personal example, if you like, of how you depend on government funding.] I want the Senator to do whatever it takes to get Musk out of there, including halting all Congressional activity until he steps down. Protect our taxpayer dollars—and our constitution—at all costs.
One more thing: Russell Vought can’t be allowed anywhere near our government. We don’t want Project 2025 and if it’s forced on us American workers will go on strike. I mean it. Vote no. Thanks.
I like the addition of “ketamine user” lol.
My paramedic husband administers ketamine fairly frequently at work and he’s convinced Musk is on a combo of ketamine and cocaine.
this is an honest question, even though it sounds like sarcasm: does anyone actually think it’s going to do anything? i’m straight up despondent and totally cynical about all of this, so my view is no. so many democrats are silent about what’s happening. so many have capitulated. trump’s nominees were all so heinous. it would have been nice to see the demos stand together as a unit and say no in protest of what was happening. i’m just in the mode that no one in charge actually cares. at all. some are getting kickbacks, some are scared, some may think they are biding their time. in the meantime nothing is happening while american citizens are forced to show papers on the streets.
@ mblates-the only thing that’s certain right now is uncertainty so no, you’ll get no guarantees from me. But Gemgirlaa is right. Calling your Congressional reps and senators is one small way of feeling like we have a say in this; it’s one way to be heard. For that brief moment, it feels empowering AF even it the feeling fades quickly in the face of our dire reality.
And I agree with you on the nominees. It’s crazy that there wasn’t a unanimous NO vote against every single unqualified idiot they trotted out there.
For some perspective, these senators scored the best in terms of voting against Trump’s clown car of miscreants:
Blumenthal CT 1 83.33%
Cortez Masto NV 1 83.33%
Duckworth IL 1 83.33%
Heinrich NM 1 83.33%
Hirono HI 1 83.33%
Lujan NM 1 83.33%
Markey MA 1 83.33%
Murphy CT 1 83.33%
Murray WA 1 83.33%
Reed RI 1 83.33%
Sanders VT 1 83.33%
Van Hollen MD 1 83.33%
Warren MA 1 83.33%
Proud of my MA senators but TBH Massachusetts folks are notorious for pressuring our elected officials.
@mblates. One of my Congressional Representatives is Jamie Raskin. He DEFINITELY cares, and he’s not the only one who does. And people like me will support people like him — in the hope that we will ultimately prevail.
I tell myself that if Jamie Raskin can grow through an unimaginably tragic confluence of events to keep fighting for us all, I can have the courage to do what I can too.
https://raskin.house.gov/2025/2/full-remarks-raskin-condemns-president-trump-and-elon-musk-s-illegal-and-unconstitutional-abolition-of-usaid-at-press-conference-outside-the-agency
@Hillary… THIS.
I just want to point out that trump was front page yesterday in the Journal de Montreal, with STUPID as title lol the french canadians are pssed off.
https://x.com/politvidchannel/status/1886579825319796973?s=46&t=XcvBIMxlGQppD864YAUmSw
@StillDouchesofCambridge that’s a great front page. Middle Canadian here, I hope that PQ does indeed rethink or not renew US contracts. I’m concerned that the Army Corps of Engineers is as involved as it is in our critical minerals here. I’m hoping the “done being polite” attitude carries over into everything.
I’m a french canadian montrealer! We are indeed pissed!
P.s. : That newspaper is pure trash. 😉
@Dandelion2 but it was on point and on time to be trash lol
Retiring Canadian MP Charlie Angus talks about Trump to CNN:
“I think with Donald, it’s so important that he looks like he’s won something. I mean, this isn’t gunboat diplomacy. This is really, I don’t know, like Al Capone in his syphilitic period trying to do a shakedown.”
As a Canadian I will boycott as many american product as possible. F the Cheetos King.
Same. Love my US friends but Canadian products only. SORRY!
No apologies necessary @Tisme! We are sincerely sorry for this hideous stupid mess and the faster some financial pain is felt, the faster it gets resolved.
I’m an American and I don’t blame you one bit. This whole situation is embarrassing.
I don’t blame you either. In fact, the Canadians have inspired me to boycott products from deep red states (those that voted for Trump 3 times). I’m also boycotting companies who have donated heavily to republicans. There is an app called ‘Goods unite us’ that lists corp donations to each party.
From now on, I’ll closely monitor what and where I buy anything. I’ll continue to buy Canadians products where feasible. As an American, I’m so sorry.
I don’t know where this false perception of Trump as a businessman was born. He inherited his wealth and managed to lose and mishandle a large portion of it, so no, not a good businessman at all.
Largely, I think, because a lot of people watched him on The Apprentice and don’t realize reality tv game shows aren’t actual reality.
I wish Celebitchy was like tiktok so I could give comments like yours a thumbs up without having to type anything. I am not a big commenter but love reading the smart (and smart-ass) comments from the users here.
Imagine how much better off we would be if The Apprentice hadn’t gotten canceled.
I was aware of Trump back in the 80s when he was known for his real estate holdings. He dropped in and out of the spotlight and became a minor NY celeb, often appearing in movies as himself. When The Apprentice first aired, he still had a good reputation and it’s where many of his future supporters first saw him. He was portrayed as an uber successful businessman and I remember liking the way he and especially Ivanka came across: knowledgeable, thoughtful, and rational. None of these words describe him now.
Actually, we would be better off if that stupid show had never existed. Hard to believe that anyone ever took it seriously but here we are.
@Pret — I, too, was aware of Trump when “he was known for his real estate holdings”, because one of the things that he was known for is keeping people who look like me from living in the rental properties that he and his family built and managed. He was also known for taking out ads in the NYC papers — demanding execution for 5 Black and Brown teens, who were later exonerated for their supposed “crimes “ after years of imprisonment. Even then, he was known for not paying his bills, forcing many small businesses who worked with his construction firm to settle for far less than he owed them when they couldn’t afford the expensive lawsuits that it would take to enforce their original agreements.
He did not have “a good reputation “ in NYC. He was known to be a racist and a mess of a human being — well before he inexplicably ended up on The Apprentice. Then, and throughout his political career he’s been a hate-filled bully and a con artist : We tried to tell you all.
He became nationally known because of the stupid reality show, but rose to prominence because of the birther bull$#it (and Russian support/conspiracy theorists/biased media). The trickle down economy left tens of millions behind and they deeply resented a classy, articulate and highly educated black man with a solid marriage becoming president. Mango gave them oxygen to be as nasty as they wanted to be and even if the checks stop, they will still blame poc, women and people in the LBGTQ community. Ah. Bullshit to crash the economy. Backtrack with egg on his face. Somehow still convince the hardcore magats that his poopy depends make him powerful and not stupid looking. Allow his cronies to get rich from the panic sell offs. Wash. Rinse. Repeat. Insider trading 101. F#ck. The hardcore magats in my orbit I have to passively follow (most of them are bipolar and I have to keep track of) have reverted to constantly posting about the fringe issue that converted them (covid/vaccine conspiracies and trans bias/only 2 genders) into Q nuts and are blissfully unconcerned. There is no way of reaching them even when they are directly impacted it isn’t the fault of the magat agenda. Continue the grass roots level boycotts, especially products specifically identified with red states, like Florida OJ and Jack Daniels. And. Avoid Walmart and Amazon.
@Blithe – I am also from NYC and surrounding area and was aware of him in the 80’s, long before the apprentice. I totally agree – No, he did NOT have a good reputation. He was largely thought of as a moronic playboy who was born with a silver spoon in his mouth with a racist, mob boss as a father. And yet, with all his privilege he still managed to fail on the regular – filing for bankruptcy and cheating all those who worked for him out of money.
It was laughable that anyone thought of him as a successful businessman and shocking when he was taken seriously as a presidential candidate. And I am even more stunned now that he could be the one to take down one of the most powerful countries in the world.
It doesn’t matter that he backtracked. The damage is done. Countries will be boycotting all over.
And how bad do you have to be to piss off CANADA?
We Canadians are very sorry but we are really pissed off. Trump has done incredible damage to the reputation of the US world wide. Who would sign a trade treaty that will be torn up if he feels like it. The European Union and the UK stand with Canada. Trump negotiated the trade deal that he is now screaming is unfair. How can anyone trust him again?
We will release the mighty Beaver and the Cobra Chickens (Canadian Geese) on him and the muskrat.
Also, the US media doesn’t help by portraying it as though Mexico and Canada capitulated to Trump, which is not the case. A lot of the measures included in the tariff pause were things we were already doing in Canada, and I believe the same applies to Mexico. Even though he backtracked and agreed to a one-month pause, I don’t believe for a second that he’s going to back down permanently. He keeps talking about wanting to annex Canada for our natural resources, which makes him a hostile figure. The US, under his leadership, is acting like a hostile country and should be treated as an enemy.
I think this was in part “business”….
step 1: Create uncertainty in the markets
Step 2: him and his buddies buy the dip
Step 3: Profit
One of the darkest days in America was the day Donald Trump met Mark Burnett.
Mark is the architect of Trump he got it into the public psyche. That Donald Trump was an effective and successful businessman. By creating the character of Trump in The Apprentice. All those swift decisions. Those thoughtful observations. Was just a script and shoved in his mouth to repeat like a parrot.
But the average American thought it was real like Santa Clause. That’s why so many believe he is a good businessman. On top of all the self promotion he was doing for decades before. As his casinos and business ventures crashed into the ground.
Shame on you NBC. SHAME.ON.YOU.
100%. The reality tv businessman who got his diaper changed between takes. Everyone should follow/watch Noel Casler’s interviews and posts about Felon47. Casler was in production and has begged to be sued so that more information will come out.
I was a fan of The Apprentice in its early days. Sometimes the contestants would have to invent a product and market it – kind of like Shark Tank. Trump would choose the winner and their product would get made and sold. The winner of one of those episodes designed this desktop caddy for Office Max. It was like a lazy susan but for office supplies. I thought it looked cool and ordered it. Let me tell you, it was the least useful piece of junk. It was HUGE -way too big to be functional on a desk, poorly made. I tossed it. I knew then that Trump was not really a good businessman, and this was all for show and profit, just like he’s doing with the presidency.
He had a talented ghostwriter, Tony Schwartz, who wrote The Art of the Deal. 1987 maybe? That was was when he was just a huckster business developer. Naturally the writer has enormous remorse over his role in starting the myth.
He managed to bankrupt multiple casinos. CASINOS.
Damn fool flex went wrong. The only thing that may be interesting to watch is how many stupid things he pulls. Although that’s limitless. He really is in the process of ruining the country and hurting alot of people.
They’ll just spin this as Mexico and Canada “conceded” to his (nonexistent) demands and Trump so strong blah blah meanwhile Musk is high jacking the US economy
Yup. Classic bully tactics on show here. “I’m in charge, see? Everyone is bowing to me, see? I’ll keep them all hanging for another month, see? Because I’m in charge.”
Yes, he’s trying to say they caved to him…but Canada’s border funds were already announced in December, so their only new thing is the symbolic “border czar”, and Mexico is sending the same number of troops to the border that they did in 2021.
This was just a cheap way for him to proclaim victory when nothing was accomplished.
Not surprised that Trump is taking credit for Biden’s deal.
K, yes he is in the process of hurting many people as well as our democracy. Unfortunately, it takes painful experiences for some people to pay attention and wake up to reality. 89 million people who are registered voters didn’t vote because they didn’t want either of the two candidates. After Trump gets finished gutting our economy and making himself and his billionaire boys club richer, Americans will finally wake up and realize voting matters. Trump pardoned the January 6 insurrectionist because he has no plans of leaving the white house at the end of his tenure. He has signaled to his followers, to fight for him and getting the deplorable head of the department of defense not to stop his proud boys, he will succeed. He told everyone he has a plan, vote for me and you won’t have to vote again.
I don’t think all the non-voters can be chalked up to not wanting either candidate. It’s shocking how apathetic millions of Americans are about politics. They think it doesn’t affect them. They’re in for a shock. FAFO.
That is a very scary thought – how will you ever get rid of him and where will this all end. He’s like making another Russia right here on this side of the world. How do we stop him – he has all the power tied up in your Country – how can he be brought down?
@Scotiagirl: we have been trying to get rid of him for ten long years. Unfortunately, he has enough dimwits supporting him (both inside and outside of government) to make that impossible. Any ideas you have are welcome. In the meantime, you’re lucky to be in the beautiful province of Nova Scotia where I spent time years ago.
I can’t with this orange c-nt.
CNN did a poll of response from Americans on this stupid trade war: 38% approve, 51% oppose. Throw in the stock markets cratering so no doubt CEOs were blowing up the Oval Office phone. Trump did cave but the WH literally said Canada and Mexico bent the knee to save face. Now China will have a go at Trump.
In recent days, I’ve been thinking about the people who didn’t vote for VP Harris because of Gaza. And I wonder if they know that Trump has proposed just clearing Gaza completely, or that he has signed an executive order that says students who participated in the protests in past years are going to be deported and have their visas canceled (!!!). Is anyone going to admit the flaws in their cost/benefit analysis when they chose to sit out this election?
One day the Oxford Dictionary will have his photo as a definition for wanker.
Oh the irony of Murdoch interceding…. In starting Fox News he gave a platform and voice to “alternative facts” that engendered what appears to be the demise of democracy in the US, and now the monster he created has turned on him and may threaten his business interests. I expect the traditional conservative business community and techbros will tear each other to pieces over the coming years.
🎯
This is why I am sticking my head in the sand. All he cares about is dominating the headlines and being at the forefront in the 24-hour news cycle. It’s 2016 all over again.
He’s a con artist entertainer. He just razzle dazzles MAGA with a little smoke and mirrors. They are happy and he never had to lift a finger and work. Or just claims the work the Biden administration did was due to him.
Also, eggs by me are now up to $13.
I mean, it doesn’t really matter because sooner rather than later you won’t have an option to choose to ignore or not. We are simply not going to hear about anything that’s happening in government because we’ll have state-run media. Pay attention to everything Trump and his thugs are doing to defund and sanction independent new outlets. Pay attention to Meta, Disney. CBS and other orgs settling lawsuits with Trump instead of fighting for first amendment rights.
Like all autocrats, Trump understands that if he controls the media he can control the public perception. And if he can control public perception then he will never ever be held accountable.
And who does that sound exactly like ………..Putin!!!!!!
Putin and Viktor Orbán–Trump’s political heroes.
I’ve switched to getting my news from non American sources like the BBC or Al Jazeera.
@ Sue-that’s great advice and we should all follow suit.
@kitten @sue in addition to the BBC, Guardian also has excellent coverage and reporting. Also Politco which I believe is US based. In terms of what people can do, delete FB, Instagram, WhatsApp, Amazon and Netflix. I’m Canadian and have cancelled/deleted all of the above. FB was hard because I had friends from around the world, so I let them know and saved their email addresses. The techbros financing this nightmare and running amok only have power if people continue to support, link to or magnify their platforms. If people quit in droves this might give them pause.
That’s what happens when you couple a dangerous Avian flu outbreak with stupid moronic leadership prioritizing alienating allies and stealing social security numbers than addressing inflation.
Over the weekend 100,000 eggs were stolen out of a semi from an organic egg producer in rethug-supporting Pennsylvania.
Dumpster fire’s supporters won’t blame cheeto. Instead, they’ll attack every waitress at their local Waffle House because the price of eggs went up.
@kaiser thanks for covering this but I have to disagree about the WSJ being hard on trump. There was one opinion piece on the weekend calling the trade war dumb but overall the coverage has been very soft pedaled. And wow the comments pretty depressing to read as a Canadian. 🤦♀️
There have been some critical pieces on Trump in the past, mostly during his first failed 4 years as president, but WSJ is still conservative and caters to a mainly conservative base.
As a Canadian I say trump has united Canadians as never before. Not a single person I know will buy any American product while that numpty is in office. We are friends, neighbours, allies and family with Americans but we have been betrayed and will not be forgotten. Trump may have halted the tariffs but he cannot control the Canadian market and we are the largest trading partner. What he has done will hurt both countries for the foreseeable future.
Joanne, as an American I’m really happy that Canadians are standing strong together. I hope you all take a really good look at what’s happening here and make sure you don’t go right
politically. Just. Don’t. Do. It. Found someone on the left or in the middle. This is the hope I have for the countries who have also been the target for disinformation and radical right policies.
I can’t believe what our (IMO) dementia ridden man ‘in charge’ has done. I guess Putin must be really pleased. Oh, and of course the Oligarchy are.
Thank you for the kind words and advice. We have had the prospect of a mini trump with the far right politician Pierre Poilievre. He’s speaks of hate and divisiveness all in his stupid 3 word slogans. Fortunately he has peaked and is falling in the polls. Most Canadians are backing the Liberal party again.
100% agree. Tariffs or no tariffs, I’m buying Canadian as much as possible. The roller coaster we were all on before he kicked the can down the road for 30 days enraged me. This is all one huge ego trip to him. He thinks we are “not a viable country”…ok then, I’ll spend my dollars elsewhere 👋🏽. We were planning a big family Disney trip but have all agreed we’d rather give our dollars to another country’s economy.
I don’t want to give any of my hard earned dollars to American companies right now, either, and I’m American. I wonder if I can visit Canada and just happen to bring a few groceries back with me….
Agreed, Joanne. And I’ve just emailed my MLA to suggest that we continue to look at ways to change procurement away from American companies. We can’t trust the States to do what they promise anymore — it’s too much of a mess. We have other trade allies that we can count on. This was a real shot in the arm.
That being said, we love our American friends and family, and don’t wish this mess on you at all.
The “51st state” nonsense has really brought home how truly patriotic most Canadians are. We rarely wear our flag on our clothing but we truly stand for the True North, Strong and Free. It made us realize how much we have to lose. I will never blame American people for this as they are our friends, partners, allies, neighbours and family. I know most Americans would stand with us.
Good for Canada and Canadians! The only thing that might be effective in this awful mess is for enough of Trump’s billionaire buddies to understand that Trump and his boy Musk are severely impacting their opportunities for further profits.
I was startled yesterday when I realized just how much I personally owe to Canada. My winter boots, my daily planner, the journal I pour my fears and frustrations in, and even my lunch — were all products of Canada. When I look for “the best” — from boots to community values, Canada has always provided me with something to aspire to.
I’m heart-sick to know that my country can no longer be trusted. I’m also terrified. There’s a saying that: When white America gets a cold, Black Americans get pneumonia. These are horrifying times. Trump and his disciples are destroying the ideals and the foundations of what used to be a somewhat “united” country.
@Blithe that’s amazing! Blondo boots? I’m thrilled to hear about your love of Canadian products.
As a Canadian, my purchasing train of thought has has been–Buy Canadian, then North American if there is no Canadian equivalent, then European. (My husband is first generation Canadian, has Italian citizenship, I’m second generation, and our families have been deeply shaped by WW2, so strong European ties there). My only exemption to the Buy Canadian will be to buy directly from brands owned by Black Americans. I thought of the younger black-owned bourbon brands when the Ontario Liquor Control Commission pulled all US whiskey off the shelves.
And yet, the Trump tariffs seem to be a smokescreen, Musk is behind all of Trump’s expansionist rhetoric, his “Canada should be the 51st state” crap (which is meant to be terrorizing and is an incredibly serious threat) and is setting up all the authority to do so with his tearing down of the US government from the inside.
@Enza, I do have pair of Blondo boots, and my favorite boots ever were by Santana Canada. My current winter boots are by La Canadienne, with a pair of Royal Canadian boots for the rare serious snows. I recently learned about the planners and journals by Hemlock & Oak, so they are a constant presence in my day. They’re beautifully made! My shower included Lush products. And I need some gym clothes, and plan to check out the Roots sales. Lunch, quite coincidentally, was a splurge pork chop from duBreton. Yay for Canada! 🇨🇦
While I’m glad that my purchases are supporting Canadian business, I’ve also been thrilled to support such well-made, excellent products. I’m applauding your “exemption “ for Black owned businesses— many of which will suffer under the current administration and policies, especially as larger business may be penalized for supporting smaller minority owned businesses.
Thank you for the opportunity for shopping chatter! I’ve always tried to spend what money I have in ways that will support my values. And Canada deserves my very public support, especially in these terrible times. 🍁
My thoughts about Musk and Trump — and Vance — echo yours. I’m troubled and terrified by by their political ambitions, and even more troubled by their clear pathological deficits.
@ Enza, I have a pair of Blondo boots, and they are my absolute FAVORITE! I wish I had a pair in every color they come in. Hands down the best boots, I’ve had them for years.
Trump pausing things really hasn’t changed the mood in Canada. The trust is gone unfortunately.
Exactly. Still avoiding American products and not traveling to the US until there is a regime change.
I’m an American who has now lived in Canada for about 15 years.
In that time I never seriously considered becoming A Canadian citizen. Now, I’ve started the process.
I will not buy American anymore if there are any other choices!
Don’t care that he has ‘paused’ the tariffs for 30days.
Don’t care if the US economy goes down the drain. My reasoning for that is that it might be the only way for people to rise up and STOP this man. If that’s what it takes…so be it.
And for all the idiots who voted for the *price of eggs*?
MY eggs are what works out to about $2.75 in US dollars.
So go Suck those eggs!
Dump proved himself to be a complete laughing stock in Canada. He did exactly as he always has: create a fake crisis, make minor adjustments, claim victory.
The very fact that Trudeau stated he’d appoint a “Fentanyl Czar” for Canada is the joke that went right over Dump’s head – a fake position, phrased in language we don’t use, to appease a complete moron who loves those kinds of titles – and it worked!
Now he gets to claim a victory for a $1.2B border security investment that Canada already signed off on two months ago. Not to mention that fact that less than 1% of the US’s fentanyl comes from us. It’s America’s borders that are letting it in, not ours! We catch much more at our border from the US, often via Mexico. It’s his own borders he can’t secure so the blame game ensues.
Fact is, Canadians are MAD and banding together to buy domestic in an unprecedented way. BC liquor stores has already moved all US made alcohol from red states, using the new space to display “Buy Canadian”.
I work for a Crown Corporation (government owned) and facilitate ecommerce, print marketing, and cross border logistics from the US brands into Canada. Yesterday, every single client I spoke to apologized for their idiot president. Every. Single. One. Real business people are appalled and embarrassed by this farce.
I’m a bit worried about travelling to the US as much as I do. I know from the past 10+ years of working as a Canadian in the states that most Americans are not represented by this man with no morals. I love both our countries and the trust Canadians used to feel towards the US, is sadly, gone…
Stef, the loss of trust is truly the saddest part of this. How does the US ever get that back?
Sauces&Sassy – That is the hardest part – the trust built through decades or trade, with Canada stepping up to help the US in every way we could (disasters, LA fires, etc), only for us to now feel stabbed in the face.
Our relationship may never recover, and will certainly never be the same…
@Sauce&Sassy I don’t think it will come back.
I don’t think that Americans are generally aware of how they are seen outside of their own country—this is nothing new really. The “ugly American” isn’t a stereotype, it’s built on corporate dominance and arrogance. The States have been an omnipresent and existential threat (military, commercial, cultural) as well as being an ally–and at many times, we are an ally of convenience only because we are neighbors and have English speaking populations. As a country founded on violent revolution, that’s really at the heart of it.
Now, we fear Trump’s “51 st state” rhetoric and know that he means this–he wants our water, resources, and general richness, for free.
Canada does not have a culture of guns or of Christian fundamentalism or hatred of so called “liberal” values. Most Canadians of my generation (I’m 54) know our own geography as well as that of the US–all 50 states, their capitals and have been to many of them. We can go to the doctor and not have a bill–this too shapes our major differences. The US is the only country in the G20 without public health care, which is not something most Americans know.
There’s a lot to say of course and my thoughts are disjointed because this is all so upsetting.
And yet, I for one love so many things about the US: northeast Iowa, sunny California, Seattle, Madison Wisconsin (especially club de wash, ragpickers, the fact that periodicals were still analog forever), Toni Morrison, Mary Oliver, Audre Lorde, Adrienne Rich, baseball, Obama, Jimmy Carter, Austin TX, Rebecca Solnit, Heather Cox Richardson.
Retired Canadian border officer here with a very geeky post. Sorry!
Neither Canada nor the USA have exit controls, which means that neither country searches the vast majority of people or goods that leave their country. And unless the laws of both countries change, the control of people and goods in North America will remain all on the country of entry.
Case in point: after 9/11, thousands of Muslims with irregular immigration status in the USA fled north to make asylum claims in Canada. US government couldn’t stop it (also didn’t want to), Canadian government at the time had no laws prohibiting persons coming from the US from making refugee claims.
However, Canada has since changed our laws (not the 51st state – we are still allowed to!) – people can no longer make refugee claims at USA/Canada official borders.
It has now become a bit of a game – people with precarious immigration status in the USA walk across “the world’s largest undefended border” at non-official places, and then find a government officer inside Canada to make a claim.
If Canada mans the thousands of miles of border 24/7, people can still walk south from here (a minuscule number compared to your southern border traffic) and illegally enter the USA, and all the fentanyl (all 43 lb of it if 2024 figures are a guide!) will still flow.
What will stop is the northward traffic of all the people Trump hates. They will remain in the USA. Such a stable genius!
Sorry for being so inside baseball.
@badrockandroll thanks for the explanation–this has been missing from the conversation. Should we have exit controls? Does any nation?
This isn’t geeky, it’s helpful, interesting info. Thank you.
Pete Navarro just said that Canada admitted people on the terrorist list to the USA. This makes me laugh, because in 30+ years I couldn’t get US border officers to admit anyone, not even American citizen criminals! Every country is solely responsible for who gets into their country, and to suggest otherwise is to suggest that a nation is not sovereign. End of story.
Exit controls are tricky. I don’t know of any modern country except for Cuba and North Korea that have them – maybe China. The old Soviet Bloc had them. In Canada they would probably violate our Charter, which guarantees mobility rights for all persons in Canada (not just citizens, but everyone!). They would also cause HUGE logjams at airports and land borders because everyone would have to be stopped and questioned – risk management on humans is tricky, and if it even looks like it’s profiling based on race or ethnicity, there will be lawsuits.
I’m no expert on seaports, but I do know that not every container is checked, as to do so would involve an incredible expense of manpower, and would grind international trade to a halt. I’m also no expert on international mail – I know that Canada risk manages incoming packages, but I don’t think that we check outgoing, but don’t quote me. I’m pointing these two things out because those are the two methods that most illegal substances enter a country.
Stay tuned for more geeky thoughts – I’ve got tons!
@BadRockandRoll This is very insightful, thank you! Not geeky at all.
Would love to hear a US Border employee chime in.
@Stef. I’m retired – no one can fire me! Although my provincial premier has entered my province into a contract with Elon Musk (he tore it up for a day yesterday), I don’t have Musk and his band of unvetted teenagers pillaging government records. So I don’t think you are going to hear from an American border officer – maybe a retired one who is independently wealthy, but not one who relies on a government job, Social Security, Medicaid or a pension.
Two last geeky thoughts …
Trump imposed several conditions on Canada when he postponed the tariffs yesterday. One was that Canada had to designate drug cartels as terrorist organizations.
The definition of terrorism in the Cdn Criminal Code requires a link between violent or illegal actions and the political, religious or ideological goal of the individual or group involved. Could someone please tell me the political, religious or ideological goals of criminal drug cartels, beyond making boatloads of money?
As far as I can tell, the Criminal Code would have to be changed to get rid of that link if that designation is to stand any sort of legal challenge. I don’t know how a piece of legislation can be changed in 30 days, even if Parliament is sitting, and it’s not. Canadian Parliament is prologued (adjourned) and won’t likely sit again until well after Trump’s deadline, for a variety of reasons.
Another hoop that Canada must solve in 30 days in order to pass Demented Don’s Tariff Test is that we must share restricted drug enforcement intelligence with the same Trump government that has pardoned Ross Ulbricht (not a Fentanyl Czar, just an online drug dealer) and has unvetted teenagers pillaging US govt records. I can’t see any EU or G7 country ever sharing any real secrets with this government – they may end up on the floor of the Mar-a-Largo bathroom!
There is no wonder that Canadians feel our sovereignty is being chipped away. He is now talking about wanting American banks to have access to Canadian markets. We escaped 2007 relatively unharmed precisely because those banks and their reckless predatory habits weren’t here.
The fake trade wars are a distraction from the world’s richest ahole and his teen minions taking over key government computer systems and breaching the security of all of our personal data!
Everyone’s still paying attention to that. I called my senators yesterday and asked why we have a foreign-born private citizen controlling OUR funds and what Dems are gonna do about the illegality of Musk’s actions.
We just have to be on top of everything at all times. It’s not like it was last time where we obsess over one thing he does and allow it to dominate 4 news cycles–we can check him on all of it–and we must.
Ah yes the arsonist and the fireman routine–it’s gonna be a fun four years of this bullshit.
And I actually think this is a political win for Trump because he convinced a bunch of low info voters that he really did something here. Like, they actually believe that he strong-armed Canada and Mexico into capitulating to his demands even though Trudeau and Sheinbaum didn’t really offer anything different than they had before the tariff threat. The only talent that I truly believe Trump possesses is that of a skilled showman.
Of course, if he continues to play fast and loose with the tariff threats it will eventually bite him in the ass as countries begin to call his bluff or just pull out of trade agreements with us entirely. But as they say, play stupid games win stupid prizes…
Fascist playbook: solve the problems you created a few days ago and claim victory. Why do people fall for this?
Because the white men who voted for him are just as ignorant as he is.
Don’t forget white women.
Because of people like Rupert Murdoch.
Because people have lost all ability to engage in critical thinking. He literally makes things up, repeats them a bunch of times, has his cronies at Meta amplify his lies and people just shrug and assume it’s true. I feel sick.
This is somewhat off the subject – but Trump looks especially awful in the picture. When will his drug use, obesity and McDonald’s diet finally catch up to him?
Not soon enough. I don’t think anyone else can sustain the Maggot base.
for the most part, these billionaires (not counting trump as one for obvious reasons) have the same #1 priority – to protect their wealth and to become wealthier. If any of Trump’s actions threaten that they will push back. What difference does that make at this point – no clue.
This has been the craziest and darkest two weeks. TWO WEEKS!!!
It isn’t just that they want to protect their wealth. They want an uneducated workforce (guaranteed by no department of education, birth control, abortions, or affordable healthcare) with a mandatory 80 work week and no employment protections. They want a nation of hand-to-mouth people desperate for any job they can get.
This is his typical deflection move, same with the Musk stunts – they are to hide what’s going on the background – I would be asking what his new team and Vance are up to behind the scenes. This is v typical of Dump – make a big fuss while all the big stuff is happening while everyone is distracted.
America, protect your constitution – he WILL try and destroy it.
The Supreme Court will let him destroy it.
Mr. Jaded and I were talking about this yesterday, he called it that Trump would delay making his decision until AFTER the markets closed to gauge how the markets did. They fell so he bought himself 30 days to further blame Canada and Mexico for the fentanyl crisis even though China and India are the major exporters of fentanyl into the US by a huge percentage. He further insists that Canada, Mexico and China owe 36 trillion dollars and the US isn’t going to be the “stupid country” any longer. “MAKE YOUR PRODUCT IN THE USA AND THERE ARE NO TARIFFS!”
However the fact is that America purchases more goods from Canada than vice versa but it doesn’t mean that the US is subsidizing us. From VOX: “You purchase more goods from your grocery store than it purchases from you. In that sense, you run a “trade deficit” with your grocer. But it does not follow that when you hand over your currency in exchange for a shopping cart full of food, you have just made a charitable donation to Kroger.”
Trump whines far more often about the undesirability of trade with Canada than about our supposed border laxity about stopping fentanyl exports, the fentanyl thing is simply a deflection from his real motivation. Don’t forget, he reiterated on Monday that he would like to use tariffs to coerce Canada into accepting its annexation by the US. He’s drooling over getting his sticky orange hands on Canada’s natural resources and access to the Arctic. Come hell or high water that will never happen.
Yeah he’s testing the waters to try it with Europe, he’s also desperate to grab Greenland and my fear is that he’ll try and use a fake trade war threat to the UK to get our gov to rescind our ‘first dibs’ agreement with Denmark on the sale of Greenland that goes back a few hundred years and is enshrined in Danish law.
He told us what he would do if he got in – he told us he would get his revenge on his ‘enemies’.
Part of me wonders if Vance really will 25th amendment him – Musk and his incel boys are running riot, I literally cannot believe what I am reading what he, a foreign agent, is being allowed to do to American government.
People have always said a 3rd world war would start in the Middle East – now I think it will start in the US. The Chinese will not take kindly to his ‘tarrifs’ and am not sure they will be willing to cut any deal that he likes.
Vance won’t 25th amendment him. This is what Vance’s purchasers want trump doing – Project 2025 enacted immediately. That is what dumpster and muskrat are doing. What Heritage Foundation will do (eventually) is enshrine Vance as president permanently once dumpster dies.
Tariffs were meant to distract from giving Musk the keys to the treasury
Yup. He backed away pretty fast from the tariff issue as soon as Musk staged his takeover.
Trump is looking older already. Good. Frigging moron and Nazi co-presidents. To hell with them.
As a Canadian, I have always been a big supporter and fan of spending my vacation time and lots of money in the USA.
I am pretty raw about this… I will be cutting my 5 weeks of vacation down to one week only this year.
Skip the US entirely and spend your money in Europe instead.
Congrats Americans , you’ll soon “own Gaza” according to your orange turd President. He’s literally setting you up for a terrorist attack (attacks). I honestly cannot believe that 51% of voters chose a convicted felon, rapist, liar and dementia ridden pant shitter over an incredibly intelligent, accomplished, formidable black woman. Elon and his Teenage Mutant Ninjas hacked the treasury, why couldn’t he have done the same to swing state votes? I’m actually afraid for you now. Still angry about the bs directed to my country but a lot of middle eastern countries aren’t going to take this lying down and they aren’t threatened by his tariffs. I am pissed as hell at the US but he is risking American lives and it sickens and scares me.
The really scary thing is that a lot of American’s are consoling themselves that it will be only four years, and we will be electing another president, who can undo all of the things Trump has done. Ha! Did Hitler believe he would only serve as fuhrer for a limited number of years and then let someone be elected to take over his job??? Hardly.
Unless he dies of obesity or has a serious stroke that leaves him unable to speak or write, I think Trump will do his best to serve more than two terms. He likes riding in AF1 and all the perks of being able to boss people around, so I think he plans on staying on permanently.
Also, the reason he wants to take over rebuilding Gaza is because he and Musk are hoping to develop the seashore into high rise hotels and casinos, run by him, of course, at a profit. He says they will use American troops to achieve the takeover and elimination of the Palestinian people. He says it will be the Riviera of the Middle East, and no doubt, all the little investors will be able to invest their life savings in this scheme, just as they did will the recent Trump coins!
And I certainly do NOT blame any Canadians who choose to not spend their vacation time and money in our screwed-up country.
Dear lort. The military industrial complex has looted the treasury for decades. The stupid endless waste of resources in Vietnam, Iraq and Afghanistan to enrich the 1% denied the American people proper educations and healthcare. This puts an enormous target on all Americans while he sold our miliary secrets and guts military intelligence. Since Helene I have had to listen to a nonstop chorus of people complaining about the lack of aid in NC and TN because the people expected instant gratification because their Evangelical beliefs made them believe they couldn’t be struck by disaster while the republicans did everything to manipulate them and deny aid at the state and federal level. The behavior and memes directed at California during the wildfires were horrific. NC and TN: Your taxes are going to go so sky high you won’t be able to afford healthcare, food and housing and you will be responsible for your elderly and disabled relatives. No more federal aid (which accounts for 20% of the economy) or environmental protection. And. Another series of endless suffering caused by the USA in the middle east that will cost trillions and only enrich Muskrat while what little you have vanishes.