Trust is broken

Canadian Prime Minister, Mark Carney, recently met with a number of US state governors. They were mostly from border states, bemoaning the hit to their economies from the drop in Canadian trade and visitors.

First: don’t talk to Canada, talk to your own damned administration. And I’m not buying the “but I didn’t vote for him” and “I don’t agree with him” whining. It’s your country, your countrymen, your neighbors, who voted. Don’t like it? What are you doing about it?

Second: what happened to the “We don’t need anything from Canada” insults regularly thrown our way?

But third: your economic hit is nothing to do with any actions on the part of Canadian federal or provincial governments, it’s the actions of your president, and those of millions of individuals in Canada making personal choices. The result of deep-rooted shock, betrayal, and anger at your president’s attacks on our country.

That is not something that will vanish the moment tariffs are lifted, or even the moment Trump leaves office. Imagine your best friend, someone you’ve known and trusted for years, suddenly turns and punches you in the gut with no provocation. No matter what they say afterwards, trust is broken. Your relationship will never be the same again.

Trump’s words and actions have poisoned the US brand around the world in a matter of weeks. The damage will take far longer to repair.