Fox News personality Laura Ingraham appeared visibly frustrated with President Donald Trump after he rambled nonsensically attempting to explain his reasoning for initiating a trade war with Canada.
Earlier this month, Trump implemented a 25% blanket tariff on most Canadian imports, though exemptions were later made for automobiles and goods covered under the 2018 US-Mexico-Canada trade deal.
Analysts from Oxford Economics and Canada’s Desjardins Group warn that the tariff could drive Canada into a recession. In response, the Canadian government has imposed a 25% tariff on $21 billion worth of U.S. steel and aluminum exports.
In response to Canada’s concerns that the tariffs could damage its economy, Trump suggested that the country could be absorbed into the U.S. as its "51st state," a remark he has since repeated while also referring to Canada’s recently replaced prime minister as "Governor Trudeau."
While some have dismissed the comments as a joke, Canadian officials remain wary, with Trudeau reportedly fearing that the U.S. president has his sights earnestly set on Canada’s vast mineral resources.
Trump sat down for an interview with Ingraham, who asked:
“You’re tougher with Canada than you are with our biggest adversaries. Why? We need their territory. They have territorial advantage. We’re not going to let them get close to China, right?”
Trump replied with the following rambling answer:
"Only because it’s meant to be our fifty-first state. I deal with every country, directly or indirectly, and one of the nastiest countries to deal with on Earth is Canada. ...
“Now, this was Trudeau—good old Justin. I call him ‘Governor Trudeau.’ His people were nasty, and they weren’t telling the truth. They never tell the truth,” Trump said. “You know, they’d say, ‘We don’t charge,’ and they do, they charge tremendous.”
Ingraham appeared unconvinced.
You can watch their exchange in the video below.
What in the world was Trump even saying? People online seemed to agree that whatever he was saying, it wasn't terribly coherent.
Trump has openly acknowledged that his tariffs will disrupt the economy. Last week, he downplayed the impact as a “little disruption” and indicated that it could persist for an extended period.
He suggested that Americans should adopt a long-term perspective—similar to China's 100-year economic model—rather than evaluating his trade policies based on quarterly performance.
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