TORONTO, ONTARIO — Donald Trump is facing a major electoral defeat — not in the U.S., but in Canada. After ten years with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau at the helm, Canada is prepared to move on from his center-left Liberal Party. It appeared that my home country was on the verge of electing a new conservative government and possibly reshaping the concept of Canadian identity — which often begins with the understanding of being distinctly different from Americans.
Had Trump kept quiet about Canada — refraining from bullying, belittling, and even threatening to annex the nation — the Conservative Party could have secured a significant majority. If Trump and the chainsaw-wielding Elon Musk had not engaged in childish jabs at Canadians, perhaps the connection between the two countries could have been positively reevaluated.
However, astonishingly — and yet predictably, as any reasonable Canadian would assert — Trump’s aggressive behavior ignited nearly universal disdain. The blustering, Trump-like leader of the Conservative Party closely resembled Wile E. Coyote post-Trump’s verbal assault; the politician who had long alleged that Canada was broken found himself speechless as his campaign crumbled. Within days, a staggering 25-point shift favored the governing Liberal Party, now led by a pragmatic banker named Mark Carney. No marketing expert could have devised a quicker way to unite Canadians than through Trump’s threats and tariffs, indicative of a so-called marketing genius turning America into a globally toxic brand.
WALKING THE STREETS of Toronto on a chilly, rainy early spring day, beneath a billboard proclaiming “Chances of Canadian Weather: 100 percent,” the city’s most striking feature is its unremarkability. The chaotic frenzy of Trump’s America stands in stark contrast to the serene civility here. A pro-Palestinian protest winds along University Avenue towards City Hall, devoid of fears that students might be abducted by masked government agents. The hip-hop exhibition at the Art Gallery of Ontario continues unbothered, with no concern that the delicate egos of sensitive white men might feel offended by divergent historical and political narratives; a blonde bride poses with her groom on the circular stairs in the main atrium, blissfully unaware of the large poster displaying oversized teeth and braces declaring “Black Power” that’s supposedly meant to frighten her.
In a shopping mall on Toronto’s main thoroughfare, the rebranding of America is noticeably in progress. Teen shoppers walk past American stores without a second glance, surrounded by flags, lapel pins, and Canada Goose fleeces, while patrons in Eataly specifically request items not produced in the U.S. My favorite pho spot in Chinatown is buzzing with activity until I pull out a bundle of American cash to pay for my meal, met with silence and disapproving glares. (“Dream big little one,” the sign above the urinal reads.) Signs of economic downturn in Canada are visible, yet the malaise is offset by excited, diverse kids lining up to shop at a trendy new Chinese fast-fashion pop-up.
On the top floor of a hotel in the downtown area, in a formerly Trump-branded tower, the bar that used to be called America has undergone a name change to distance itself from the association. The remnants of the president’s tasteless luxury are still apparent in the garish black marble and ostentatious decor. Customers at bars throughout the city are increasingly requesting non-American brands of alcohol, revealing a glimpse of the unity binding the nation. At a nearby liquor store, American brands have disappeared from the shelves. When I inquire with the clerk about any complaints, he looks taken aback.
“No one has complained,” he states. “People are starting to appreciate Canadian whiskeys.”
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A few bleary-eyed day drinkers on the sidewalk are discussing politics, echoing the sentiment of everyone I encounter as they share a bottle.
“At least Trump showed Mark Carney some respect,” one inebriated individual asserts approvingly. “Trump referred to Carney as Prime Minister, so that counts for something.”
Another agrees through slurred speech. “C’est la vie,” he responds.
“NO WAY CANADA can win a trade war with America,” Vice President J.D. Vance proclaims on television, during a visit to an American military base in Greenland — yet another territory threatened by the Trump administration.
Yet, here’s the truth: There is no war in Canada. Canada is not embroiled in a conflict with America, nor is it at odds with reality or basic human decency, elements that define Canadian identity. Discussions surrounding DEI — often humorously referred to as Donald, Eric, and Ivanka on Canadian television — take place in Canada, but the core principles of diversity, equity, and inclusion still reflect characteristics taught in Canadian kindergartens: strive to do your best, uphold honesty, respect others, avoid bullying, abide by the rules — along with the lyrics of O Canada.
On one level, what Canada experiences is akin to a divorce, I realize. What Vance fails to understand is that no one wins in a divorce. Both sides emerge poorer, if not happier, as the bonds of trust and affection that once connected them are irreparably severed. And, another harsh truth about divorce is that the abusive partner remains abusive after the split. The empty threats, irrational demands, self-pity, deceit, and erratic behavior all remain evident in the reflection seen in the mirror the morning after the relationship is over.
However, the most fundamental disagreement between Canada and America appears to revolve around perspectives on the modern world. For years, conservative America has engaged in a bitter struggle with history, with originalist factions on the Supreme Court selectively narrating the past to fit their ideological agendas. For someone like Donald Trump, whose grievances with the present are pronounced, this once-entertainment figure now holds the power to trigger fear across the planet as his discontent with the current state and longing for a bygone era turns the world upside down.
Canada features historical plaques adorning the city, celebrating its rich heritage, but no one genuinely desires to return to a mythical golden age or to live in a fantasy where the world’s challenges can simply be wished away with a magical red hat.
THE SNOW IS FALLING across Toronto on April 2, Trump’s “Liberation Day,” as the event is streamed live from the White House on Canadian television. The president transforms reality into a distorted version of reality television. The anxiety palpable among newscasters eventually reveals that Canada is avoiding the brunt of the new global trade tax system. While tariffs on cars, steel, and aluminum endure, the rest of the world now suffers under the same global trade rules Canada has faced for months: unilaterally discarded agreements and hefty new Trump taxes feigned as acts of kindness — a striking example of gaslighting — as the crowd in the Rose Garden scrambles to catch a tossed MAGA hat.
“Trump enjoys being praised,” a Canadian commentator observes after listening to Trump lauding the Smoot-Hawley tariffs, infamous for exacerbating the Great Depression and nostalgically recalling the 1880s as a golden era — a rambling, incoherent soliloquy that seems to reject the realities of the 21st century.
The sun breaks through the following morning — unfazed by Trump’s tariffs, it appears — and the city continues to progress. The impacts of these economic shifts on Canadian workers and the economy are immediately felt with job losses and life changes. Yet, all Canadian political factions agree that there is no going back. The established relationship is over, as Prime Minister Carney states; the marriage has concluded. Unlike many American institutions crumbling in disarray — law firms, universities, soulless tech billionaires — Canada stands tall against the bully and calls out the nonsense. Regardless of the Canadian election’s outcome, one indisputable loser has emerged: Donald Trump.
In this new chapter characterized by American lawlessness, treaties forged by Trump between Canada and Mexico are dismissed with the same callous disregard as the president once displayed towards subcontractors. Trump has positioned himself to distribute and extract tariff favors like a mafia boss, practicing corruption and opacity with unrestricted audacity — and, of course, with immunity. The president perceives the world as a ship of fools — convinced he possesses an intellect superior to all others. Canadians, who had been peacefully minding their own affairs until a few weeks prior, now regard their American neighbors with a blend of horror, disbelief, and dread, fearful that this hubris is the precursor to a significant downfall.
