How Trump Is Torching America's Relationship With Canada
For generations, the United States and Canada have enjoyed one of the world's most fruitful symbiotic relationships. The two nations share a border that stretches over 5,500 miles across the continent. Canada is America's second most significant trading partner, after China, and no country imports more goods from the United States than its neighbor to the north. The two nations even share three of the four major professional sports leagues. As Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said regarding the United States when he first visited President Trump's White House in February 2017, "No other neighbors in the entire world are a fundamentally linked as we are."
But after Trump laid waste to the G-7 summit that took place outside of Quebec City over the weekend, that fundamental relationship is in serious jeopardy. Responding to trade policy objections from Trudeau, Trump called the Canadian prime minister "indignant," "dishonest" and "weak" within a span of 72 hours while refusing to compromise on a trade agreement with America's closest allies. In the span of a few months, Trump has managed to turn one of the most logical and least controversial alliances in the world into an adversarial standoff.
The relationship between Trump and Trudeau wasn't always so thorny. Just as Trudeau did, the president touted the importance of the relationship during their initial meeting in February 2017, calling the prime minister a "great friend." Despite the pleasantries, Trump has long felt that Canada has taken advantage of the United States when it comes to trade. Two months after inviting Trudeau to the White House, the president tweeted that Canada is making "business for dairy farmers in Wisconsin and other border states very difficult."
"We will not stand for this," Trump added. "Watch!"
Fourteen months later, Trump made good on his promise to do something about what he deems as an unfair relationship with Canada in spectacular fashion, incinerating any sense of goodwill toward one of America’s closest allies. Tensions began to flare in March, when the White House announced it would be imposing tariffs on steel and aluminum imports. Canada, Mexico and the European Union were at the time given an exemption in hopes that a deal could be worked out, but that exemption was lifted earlier this month, and America's allies were none too pleased. The United States justified the tariffs by labeling Canada a national security threat. Trudeau called this "insulting," and it was later reported that when Trudeau raised the issue with Trump during a May 25th phone call, Trump said, "Didn't you guys burn down the White House?" a reference to the War of 1812, when the White House was burned down by the British.
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https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/news/trump-trudeau-comments-w521346
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