‘Kiss my ass’: Trump’s Canadian doppelgänger in war of words with the president
When Doug Ford rose to power in 2018, he was frequently described as Canada’s version of Donald Trump.
Now the Premier of Ontario is in a Trump-style spat with the president himself, after trade talks between the two nations fell apart.
Ontario Premier Doug Ford has told Donald Trump to “kiss my ass”. Nick Iwanyshyn/The Canadian Press via AP
“I have a lot of real estate on my ass, so he has a lot of room to kiss my ass,” Ford said of the president, after Trump threatened new tariffs on Canada.
Trump replied by describing Ford’s comments as “bluster”.
“(Ford) is better known as the less charismatic, intelligent, and overall unimpressive brother of the late, great, Rob Ford,” the president wrote on Truth Social.
Ford’s brother Rob was repeatedly in the headlines as mayor of Toronto, beset by alcoholism and drug addiction. He died of cancer at the age of 46.
In the back-and-forth, Doug Ford described Trump as a “dictator”.
“He’s the type of guy in school that would take your lunch money one day, take your toque (beanie) off your head the next day and then steal your running shoes,” Ford said.
“I’m not going to take any advice from a guy that’s the king of bankruptcies.”
Though Ford and Trump both hail from the conservative side of the political spectrum, they have frequently found themselves at loggerheads.
President Donald Trump has threatened major new tariffs on Canada. AP Photo/Alex Brandon
Ford threatened to cut off power generated in Ontario and then sent to the United States. Ontario’s power exports are enough to keep the lights on for 1.5 million Americans.
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney announced he was pulling out of trade talks with the US.
Carney said the US negotiators made last-minute changes to the deal that he found unacceptable.
“We learnt during the negotiations that the Americans want to destroy our major industries, including autos, steel and aluminum,” he said.
“That was one of the main reasons we said no. It was a bad deal.”
The US negotiators had also demanded an end to regulations that would require French language on labelling.
They also sought for Canada to axe requirements for streaming services such as Netflix and Spotify to include more French-language content.
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney has pulled out of trade talks with the US. Jacques Boissinot/The Canadian Press via AP
About one in five Canadians speak French as a first language, particularly in Quebec.
Carney has announced that any US tariffs would be matched “dollar-for-dollar”.
In a Truth Social post, Trump referred to Carney as “Governor Carney”, inferring Canada should be regarded as a US state.
“America has been carrying Canada for decades, but no longer!” Trump said.
“The USA will always be far bigger, richer, and stronger than Canada.
“Without the United States, Canada couldn’t survive — It’s where they get all of their money and, because of their current bad leadership, primarily Governor Carney, and his Flunky, Ford, they will not be allowed to keep taking advantage of the United States.”
Carney’s tough line on tariffs has drawn the support of politicians across the board in Canada, and voters are backing him strongly.
Seventy-six per cent of Canadians have backed the decision to end trade talks with the US.
Many cars in the US are manufactured in Canada, and vice versa. Dax Melmer/The Canadian Press vi
Trump’s approval rating meanwhile is hitting record lows, and his position on Canadian tariffs is not getting much backing in the US.
Democratic Senator Tammy Duckworth lashed Trump over his “trade war with Canada”.
“Trump’s priorities are clear: Make himself richer, make everything more expensive, hurt American businesses and force middle-class families to pay the price,” she said.
“American families can’t afford another Trump-made price hike.”
Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, whose state borders Canada, lamented the president undermining the two countries’ long-time friendship.
“When a group of YMCA campers needed to be rescued during the wildfires on our northern border, it was Canada who immediately helped,” Walz said.
“Not a word from Trump.”
The United States is Canada’s largest export customer, and Canada is the second-largest customer of US products.
Canada is the largest supplier of oil to the United States.
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