A Canadian lawmaker is declaring victory over President Donald Trump after Trump initiated, the dropped, a series of wide-ranging tariffs against the neighboring nation.
“He blinked,” Canadian MP Charlie Angus told MeidasTouch host Ben Meiselas. “He choked.”
Trump over the weekend announced tariffs on three nations, including Canada, over border security issues. He paused those tariffs on Monday, saying Canada agreed to step up enforcement at the border and reduce the flow of fentanyl into the nation.
Critics were quick to point out that the core of the Canadian concession had already been announced in December ― before Trump even took office ― and the amount of fentanyl entering the nation from the north is comparatively small anyway.
Angus suggested it wasn’t the supposed concessions by Canada that changed Trump’s mind but Canada’s retaliation and the impact on U.S. industries.
“Two days ago, he was telling us that if we didn’t give up our nationhood that tariffs were gonna stay on, and then we hit him with $125 billion worth of tariffs,” he pointed out, adding that Canadian stores also began to pull Kentucky booze and California wine from their shelves.
“Then we said ‘you’re gonna get another $25 billion right after that’ and the market started to tank,” he said.
Suddenly, he said, Trump was willing to accept a plan Canada had already announced back in December.
“This is Mr. Art Of The Deal,” he said derisively, using the name of Trump’s 1987 book. “From a Canadian perspective, Donald, you seriously pissed us off.”
He said Canadians are mad, don’t trust Trump, and lost trust in the United States as well.
Angus also warned Trump not to try it again.
“We’re nice people, but you have really, seriously, poked the polar bear,” he said. “So, Donald, come back at us a second time. It’s gonna hurt even more.”
See the full interview below: