The Liberal Party of Canada pulled off one of the most spectacular comebacks in recent political history, going from being down 25 points in polls to retaining their governing majority in this week's elections under Prime Minister Mark Carney.
The party won so decisively that Pierre Poilievre, the Conservative Party leader once thought to be a lock for the next prime minister, lost his own riding in Parliament.
The result has been attributed by political observers to Canadian voters uniting in opposition to U.S. President Donald Trump, who after taking office has repeatedly antagonized Canada with aggressive tariffs and a bizarre obsession with the idea of annexing the country. This ruined the ability of the Conservatives, natural allies of Trump's Republican Party, to sell themselves to the electorate.
In no time at all, the internet exploded with an outpouring of celebration for the result of the Canadian election, as well as mockery of Trump for almost singlehandedly guaranteeing it.
"Thank you to Canada's Liberal Party for demonstrating that the best way to beat a bully is to stand up to him," wrote Neera Tanden, former Center for American Progress director and Biden administration domestic policy adviser. "Those that cower always lose."
"In a 180, Conservatives were totally defeated in Canada last night," wrote Project Liberal director Joshua Reed Eakle. "So much so, that Piere Polivere not only lost the vote for Prime Minister, he was thrown out of Parliament entirely. This is the writing on the wall for right wing movements around the world. Their time is up."
"The liberals in Canada were dead in the water until Trump came along, energized an entire nation against him, and voila," wrote podcaster Wajahat Ali.
"The impact of an unpopular American president on a foreign election is stunning," wrote Democratic pollster Matt McDermott. "We’ve never seen anything like the seismic political shift Trump triggered in Canada to deliver a stunning Liberal win. Trump’s toxicity is rewriting global politics."
"Donald Trump is the best Liberal™ campaign manager in the history of Canadian elections," wrote Canadian Globe and Mail cartoonist Michael de Adder, posting a screenshot of one of Trump's lengthy posts to Truth Social urging Canada to become a U.S. state to avoid paying tariffs.
"Trump cost the Conservatives the election in Canada. He’s mobilizing the world against the United States," wrote GOP Latino consultant Mike Madrid.
"Donald Trump’s nastiness toward Canada didn’t produce conservative dominance there," wrote Canadian-American political historian Tim Naftali. "JD Vance’s nastiness in Europe is producing the same result there. We can debate why nastiness seemed to have worked here in 2024 but it doesn’t travel well."