MARK MACDONALD
BRITISH COLUMBIA – Donald J. Trump’s re-ascendancy to the Presidency of the United States of America was one of the most compelling political stories of a lifetime.
His vow to Make America Great Again and America First policy obviously captured the attention of American voters, and he spent roughly one-third of current Vice President Kamala Harris’ budget to win the Electoral College by a mile, the popular vote, and Republicans hold majorities in the Senate and House of Representatives.
For at least the next two years, Trump will have full authority to implement promises he made on the campaign trail. If he’s successful, then mid-term elections will allow him to continue, virtually unchallenged, for the rest of his final term.
He’s not even officially President until January 20, but he’s already making moves that are shaking up a world gone radically left.
The promise of a 25 percent tariff on all goods from Canada and Mexico – unless they tighten their borders – have sent both countries scurrying. Trump says Mexico has agreed to stop the endless parade of illegal immigrants through its border. Canadian dictator Justin Trudeau went cap in hand to Trump’s Thanksgiving Dinner, just two days after this country’s Premiers held an emergency meeting with Trudeau, following Trump’s pronouncement the previous weekend.
Trudeau, hardly serious at the best of times, made sober statements about the Canada-U.S. partnership and dropped his traditional smirk. Of all people, Trump is one who remembers slights, and Trudeau’s statements over the past several years have to be near the top of his list. As a headline in the National Post declared: Trump’s team “really, really hates Trudeau”. Even Trudeau seems to recognize he can’t step out of line any longer. He has been officially snapped to attention.
This is both good and bad news for Canada. Good, if Trump’s promise results in a tighter border and tougher immigration policy and implementation. And if Trudeau is successful in doing that – and his performance on most every other file hasn’t indicated he has the ability to pull that off – then Canada will be spared the 25 percent tariff. And they say tariffs don’t work.
Bad? This demonstrates how weak Canada has become under Trudeau. With the loonie at its lowest value against the U.S. buck in 20 years and the economic eco-terrorists of the federal Liberals’ persistent attacks the country’s one and only cash cow – the Alberta oil sands – Canada is in no position of strength economically to negotiate with a powerful U.S. President.
Remember Trump’s first term, when he signaled to Mexico that he wanted to renegotiate their free trade agreement – and Trudeau pulled the ultimate “me too” and tossed Canada into the mix? Canada wasn’t even on Trump’s radar on that issue until Trudeau put it there.
Trump negotiating with Trudeau. This is man-versus-child, the results of which could be catastrophic for Canada’s economy.
Trump wrote a book called “The Art of the Deal”. It’s what he’s done his entire life. Trudeau is an actor, a former drama school teacher who rose to prominence because of his family name, and cute socks. It is the ultimate mismatch.
Canada’s best scenario would be to have the upcoming non-confidence vote pass, because Liberal backbenchers who claim they no longer support Trudeau stand up in Parliament and say so. And Jagmeet “I’m Staying Until I Get My $2 Million Pension” Singh finally keep his promise to stop the NDP from propping up of Trudeau. Call an election, which will result in the now inevitable election of Pierre Poilievre and the Conservatives, who are at least ideologically more connected to the Republicans. Maybe, just maybe, a friendship can be rekindled between the two party leaders, like Ronald Reagan and Brian Mulroney a lifetime ago.
Canadians, as a whole, don’t understand Americans. The lens through which they choose to view it is the Hate Media, which created a virtual monster-figure in Trump, calling him every name in the book, and viewers ate it up like candy. Except the media is no longer the most powerful voice in America. They have been recognized and outed as political hacks who are more concerned about their personal message than telling the truth, and they’re now on the backbenches, replaced by Authentic Media, starring podcasters and social media magnates.
Many, many Americans don’t just like Trump. They love him. Two assassination attempts, multiple court cases through a weaponized, politicized judiciary, constant attacks from the media, etc., etc., etc., and he is still standing, triumphant. He is the man who beat “the system” and is promising to rid key agencies of corruption that changed the country’s government from “by the people, for the people” to “against the people”.
He is a hero to his supporters.
The U.S. economy will rock under Trump, the businessman.
This has all the makings of a new American revolution, complete with this century’s own inventor par excellence, Elon Musk, at the front. He is today’s version of the brilliant Benjamin Franklin, one of the country’s founding fathers.
Besides Musk, at the forefront with Trump are Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Tulsi Gabbard. All former Democrats. For a country viewed as being so divisive, it’s refreshing to see people of this stature move across the aisle. As both Kennedy and Gabbard said: “I didn’t leave the Democratic Party. The Democratic Party left me.”
Trump has assembled an all-star team.
Canada? An election now to change our leadership would be the best scenario. Or we can hope that Trudeau won’t do much more damage until the mandated federal election next fall.
Mark MacDonald is President of Communication Ink Media & Public Relations Ltd.: mark@communicationink.ca
