MAGA’s Canadian Sweetheart Vows to ‘Retaliate’ Against Trump in Tariff War
Canadian Conservative Party leader Pierre Poilievre has declared that he would “retaliate” against President Donald Trump’s economic threats against his country should he be elected prime minister in the fall of this year.
Pollievre, who has found supporters among the MAGA faithful across the border, has previously rebuked Trump over comments about Canada becoming the USA’s 51st state.
Now he has delivered a bold message to the president of the world’s largest economy after a string of hard tariff threats of 25%, which would likely make gas more expensive for millions of Canadians.
“I would retaliate,” he said on CTV News. “I would target products and services that A, we don’t need. B, we can make ourselves, and C, that we can buy elsewhere so that we maximize impact on the Americans while minimizing impact on Canadians.”
“Look, President Trump is a dealmaker,” he explained. “He wants to win, but we’re both going to lose as Americans and Canadians if we get into a trade war. So what I would say is, how do we position the decision for him so that he understands that America can only win if it allows open, unbridled free trade with Canada?”
“It has to hit hard,” he later said.
Pierre Poilievre BREAKS SILENCE & unveils his tariff response plan, and it’s pure 🔥.
Logical, clear, and 100% Canada-first.
This is what real leadership looks like—finally, someone standing up for Canadians! 🇨🇦
pic.twitter.com/fXXk5oDLea— Marc Nixon (@MarcNixon24) January 25, 2025
Speaking to CTV News host Todd Battis, Poilievre said that Canada should limit its dependency on its neighbors.
“We need to become more self-sufficient,” he said. “That means knocking down barriers, more interprovincial free trade. We have freer trade with the Americans today than we do with ourselves. We have to knock down those barriers, build pipelines, LNG liquefaction facilities to sell our stuff to the world without having to go through the Americans.”
“If they’re going to be an unreliable trade partner, we’ve got to find ways to sell more to ourselves and more to the rest of the world,” he added.
The conservative leader has recently capitalized on the turmoil in Ottawa since the resignation of Justin Trudeau, becoming an ever-present figure in the continent’s politics both on cable and online – much like his American counterpart, Donald Trump.
Poilievre, who is leading the polls to become the next prime minister of Canada, has previously won the praise of some Trump officials – including X owner Elon Musk.