From tax threats to public jabs, why it seems Trump won’t leave Canada alone

From threatening tariffs to public harassment, US President Donald Trump has repeatedly turned to Canada, and he can’t seem to stop talking about his neighbor to the north.

Conflicts range from intimidation block the opening of the Gordie Howe International Bridge unless Canada has granted concessions, to accusing Canada of contributing to wildfire smoke to drift in the US, to new prices are 50 percent directed $28 billion worth of Canadian goods.

Recently, Trump’s response to wildfire smoke has taken a theatrical turn.

After threatening to retaliate with tariffs for that he he called it “willful negligence” by Canada on catching fires, Trump share an image generated by AI on his Public Truth account on Saturday showing a large air filter on the open border between the two countries.

Washington reporters Willy Lowry, Katie Simpson and guest host Mike Crawley take a look at what could fuel this internet boom in Canada and what it might take to turn the page.

We’ve included the best photos below, sorted by height and clarity. Listen to the full podcast interview here.

Katie Simpson: It seems like lately Canada can’t really catch a break when it comes to Donald Trump.

Willy Lowry: Yes, Canada is his proverbial punching bag. I think you see [Canada] like a low-hanging fruit without much political cost, and he likes to stoke fire, he likes to joke, it’s part of his personality and some of it even sounds basic. They like the strong talk of a man who can put Canada forward.

Katie Simpson: In the US, when Trump leaves Canada, there is a certain part of his MAGA base that really agrees with it.

I did a lot of Republican based news to get a feel for how people felt. [I] go to North Carolina, to Texas, to other places, and introduce yourself, ‘I’m a reporter from Canada, we’re here to do a story on X, I wonder if we can get your opinion on something, and [with Canada]they usually reveal a few things.

First, they brought the convoy protest to Ottawa because it was something they found within the alt-right sphere in America, especially when the Canadian federal government was closing bank accounts.

Another thing that came up recently was the secessionist movement in Alberta, and one gentleman I talked to called Albertans ‘snow Texans,’ and said ‘Welcome snow Texans, please join us.’ They see Canada as a place where people’s rights and freedoms are trampled upon [and] they think Canadians need help or liberation.

Mike Crawley: There’s also this idea that Canada, to Katie’s point about trampling on human rights, that it’s a hotbed of liberalism and what would happen if the Democrats had their way in the US – that they’d turn it into another Canada and all those kinds of things that the American right doesn’t like.

Willy Lowry: Canada bashing won’t lose Trump any votes, right? So he looks strong, he looks strong, he looks like he’s doing his agenda of tax-first-economic policies with very little consequences for him.

Katie Simpson: Is there one thing Canada can do at this moment other than try to have negotiations [and] conduct trade negotiations?

Willy Lowry: It’s that British World War II hero: Keep calm and carry on.