WASHINGTON — No one is shocked these days when U.S. President Donald Trump calls Canada the “51st state” or refers to Prime Minister Mark Carney as a “governor.” But Trump’s habit of occasionally targeting Canada with crude insults has become much more common among rank-and-file Republicans in recent weeks. As Trump watches his poll numbers sink under the weight of controversial policies and an unpopular war with Iran, he is casting about for scapegoats, said Robert C. Rowland, professor of rhetoric at the University of Kansas. Often, he lands on Canada. “No other president has ever talked in the way that Trump does about Canada and our other closest allies,” Rowland said. “And for that matter, no other president has talked about our adversaries in Russia and China the way that Trump does.” The barrage of anti-Canada messaging from the White House ramped up earlier this month when smoke from devastating wildfires drifted south to blanket parts of the United States. As Trump threatened tariffs in response to the wildfire smoke, Republicans lobbed insults at Canada and one senator even promised legislation that would somehow sanction the Canadians he held responsible. “Unless you want to become the 51st state, learn to manage your forests,” Aric Nesbitt, a Republican state senator in Michigan, posted on social media on July 16. The same day, Michigan Rep. John James weighed in on social media with what he called a “FINAL WARNING TO CANADA.” “Sovereignty comes with responsibility,” the Republican wrote, “and the responsibility to prevent a foreseeable disaster from crossing into another country’s airspace has not been met.” Trump’s presidency marked a sudden break from what had been a bilateral relationship built on mutual respect and admiration, Rowland said. He recalled Prime Minister Brian Mulroney and U.S. President Ronald Reagan singing together at the 1985 Shamrock Summit and former president Jimmy Carter serving as an honorary pallbearer at former prime minister Pierre Trudeau’s funeral. “The closest country in the world to the United States, before Trump, was obviously Canada,” Rowland said. “And it ought to be a mutual admiration … as it was for the modern period (from) maybe Teddy Roosevelt through (Barack) Obama.” And while there were strains on the relationship during negotiation of the Canada-U.S.-Mexico-Agreement on trade in the first Trump administration, political observers say Trump’s attacks on Canada during his second administration are unprecedented — and uninhibited. That’s leading some of the president’s most devoted followers — including some in Congress — to express more negative views of Canada publicly. “Attitudes pro and con about Trump drive our politics,” Rowland said. “I think that is the factor that has led some in the MAGA universe to more negative attitudes about Canada.” And the Trump effect isn’t limited to elected officials. Recent polling shows that while most Americans continue to hold positive opinions of Canada, Republicans are souring on the relationship. Gallup polling published in March shows Canada’s favourable rating among Republicans has fallen 23 points, from 85 per cent in 2025 to 62 per cent this year. Eighty per cent of political independents polled by Gallup viewed Canada favourably — down nine points from a year ago but similar to 2024 levels — while 95 per cent of Democrats had a positive view of the country. Republican voters — particularly those who identify as MAGA — are now more likely to change their views based on what Trump says, said Matthew Lebo, a political science professor at Western University in London, Ont. He cited Republicans’ shifting views on tariffs, the war with Iran and NATO. When MAGA voters hear Trump repeatedly say Canadians have been treating the United States unfairly, Lebo said, they are more likely to believe it. As a result, Republican politicians looking to upcoming primaries may see bashing Canada as a way to motivate Trump’s most faithful voters — people who might not be inclined to vote when the president isn’t on the ballot. Lebo said it’s also a way to curry favour with Trump in an administration where loyalty means everything. He also argues that Canada-bashing is bad politics — that a blame-Canada message that might appeal to the MAGA base is likely to fall flat with non-MAGA voters in a general election. “It’s not always the same thing, what is smart electoral politics for me versus what is smart electoral politics for my party,” Lebo said. “And everybody wants to get re-elected.” The shifting rhetoric around Canada reflects the increasing political polarization in the United States. That polarization puts Canada in an awkward position, Lebo said, where a single election can cause U.S. government policy to swing wildly. Pew Research Center polling published in June said only 33 per cent of Canadians viewed the United States favourably — a drop from 34 per cent in 2025 and a steep decline from the 54 per cent recorded when that question was asked in 2024. This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 27, 2026 Kelly Geraldine Malone, The Canadian Press
