Donald Trump took to Truth Social late Thursday to rant "ALL TRADE NEGOTIATIONS WITH CANADA ARE HEREBY TERMINATED” — an angry response to a Canadian ad showing President Ronald Reagan criticizing tariffs.
But if Trump intended to instill fear throughout Canada, his staff might want to keep the Toronto Star off his reading list. The Star reported Friday that the all-caps drew anything but a panicked response.
"The most surprising national reaction to U.S. President Donald Trump’s angry 'termination' of Canada-U.S. trade talks? A near collective shrug that rippled across the country following the initial shock at Trump’s late night social media post that torched Canada — specifically Ontario — for a provincial ad campaign against U.S. tariffs.
"The indifferent response made itself felt across markets, affected industries, the prime minister’s office and premiers. It was as if the crazy of Trump’s on-again off-again threats is baked into the nation’s consciousness."
And there was this: "Prime Minister Mark Carney reacted calmly to Trump’s late-night blow-up, saying it underlines how Canada must diversify its trading partners and be ready to restart negotiations 'when the Americans are ready.'"
Carney has departed on a nine-day trip to Malaysia, Singapore and Korea. And while he emphasized that Canada remains committed to trade negotiations with the U.S, he added: “What we can control absolutely is how we build here at home."
“We certainly can control new partnerships, particularly with Asian giants, and that is the purpose of this trip," he said.
