Trump’s recent erratic behavior has greatly damaged behavior with previous allies while has cozied up to Russia. Trump won’t be president forever but I feel that the trust US built up post World War II is likely gone for a very long time and won’t be easily regained even after Trump is no longer in office. Below will discuss Trans-Atlantic relations with Europe and then relations with Canada
Trump’s berating of Zelenskyy was absolutely appalling and disgusting. I get in private things might get a bit heated but remember this guy is war hero whose country has been invaded and lost hundreds of thousands of people. As such I would expect to show some respect. But instead Trump and Vance wanted to show their toughness, so berated him in front of cameras. More than anything the multiple actions he has taken leaves me to believe he is clearly on the side of Putin. Why this is happening I am unsure but I see two possibilities:
- He admires strong man like Putin and wishes could be like him
- Putin has some dirt on him and promised not to release it if falls in line
Either way his behavior has been disgusting and is worse than Neville Chamberlain in Munich who was naive but at least had good intentions with a devastating outcome. Trump doesn’t even want peace; he wants to hand Ukraine over to Russia and perfectly find if Russia expands further in Europe.
This means Europe can no longer rely on US for its security. And it seems most European leaders get this but the transition won’t be easy. This means European countries have no choice but to ramp up defence spending. And with Eurozone deficit rules that are being breached by multiple members, it probably means either tax hikes or spending cuts or some combination of both. Neither will be easy political sells, but Europe has no choice. Also with NATO being useless EU must step up with its own defence alliance or even single army. EU common defence should also be open to other members such as Canada, Iceland, Norway, and UK. Likewise if China becomes more belligerent, Japan, South Korea, Australia, New Zealand and perhaps other shows be offered to join. Moldova is likely Putin’s next target so it should be offered immediate protection so Putin cannot expand. Even if US comes to its senses in four years, they have shown they are at best a fairweather friend at worst an adversary. I also fully support Macron’s idea of offering nuclear defence to all EU members. It is going to be a tough transition, but Europe has no choice but to step up and also work cooperatively. Putin and now Trump believe in conquer & divide so only a united Europe can stand up to those two bullies.
For Canada, this has probably been the worst I have seen Canadians view United States in my nearly 44 years of life. We have always been somewhat suspicious of US and many looked down on some things like their dumb gun laws, lack of universal health care, and angered at some foreign policy decisions like Iraq war. But boycotts of US and American goods was never widespread in past. And polls show this as despite disagreements in past and even some dislike; polls usually showed more Canadians had a positive attitude of US than negative. Today favourability of US is barely above China and inline with dictatorships like Saudi Arabia and Venezuela. And this was totally preventable and unnecessary. Interestingly enough polls show most Americans generally like Canada and Canadians but we sure don’t feel same way and with good reason.
I get most Americans may like Canada but don’t really pay much attention to us and don’t think a lot about how we feel. In many ways, Americans view Canada same way Canadians view Sweden which is we like country but seldom think much about it and our knowledge of it is fairly limited. Due to our geography and difference in population, we have no choice but to take notice what happens in US. Still if any Americans are reading this and are decent people, they should be appalled at the way their president and his administration has treated what you call an ally and friend. We are very angry and feel betrayed. Canadians despite our disagreements have never hesitated to help Americans in time of need. Be it taking in the planes on 9/11, sending our soldiers to Afghanistan after 9/11 at the cost of 158 Canadian lives, helping during Hurricane Katrina, and more recently sending our firefighters to help during recent LA fires. We may at times make fun of Americans and certainly disagree on some things but when it comes to be there in time of need, we always do our part. As such we find this not just maddening but hurtful. Slapping 25% tariffs on our goods to cripple our economy and threatening to annex Canada is no way to treat a friend. And Americans need to realize even when Trump is gone, don’t expect relations to return to how they were in 2024. That is going to take a lot longer. Good relations depend on trust and once trust is broken it is very hard to restore.
I do support boycott of American goods where alternatives are available until president ends tariff threat for good and stops threatening to annex us. For travel, its up to each person to decide, but number cancelling trips to US is dropping and it will hurt communities that rely on Canadian tourism such as Bellingham near where I live. Last year there were 20 million visits by Canadians to US. I expect that to drop by at least 5 million maybe more. Likewise places like Florida that make a lot of income off snowbirds likely to see many sell homes and they won’t be coming back even when Trump is gone. Yes once Trump is gone I expect things to improve somewhat but not back to where were before. That is at best going to take at least a decade but most likely probably 20 years or more. We have long memories and we won’t easily forgive and forget this sorry episode. Favourable ratings by Canadians of US has usually been above 50% except for a few drops like when Trump first won and during covid; but I don’t think that is going to happen for a very long time, maybe never.
I have already said what Canada needs to do and I like many determined to see we get through this. It proves we must be less reliant on US as clearly we cannot trust them to keep their word. For future deals, I would prefer we only do them if absolutely necessary and where possible be multilateral so they cannot screw us over without others hitting them back too. It is in our interest to have good relations with our neighbour but that can only happen if they treat us with respect which they have not. So for Americans upset at this, write your congressman and/or senator and speak out. You are the ones who are going to have to change this. And for next administration don’t come up to Canada asking for forgiveness and return to what was there before. You are going to have to re-earn our trust which will be a long process not a quick easy one.
As for rise in Anti-Americanism, I have never been a fan of it but I understand why some feel that way. Boycotts of US products and travel is totally understandable. Likewise so is booing US anthem even if crude. But I do hope that we recognize US is a diverse country and while their president and hardcore MAGA supporters are truly bad people, many ordinary Americans are decent kind people. So its important when dealing with Americans we still treat them with respect even if rightly pissed at way they are treating our country. Still I suspect personal bonds between Americans and Canadians will fray and with less travel it will mean fewer people having friends on other side of the border, which is unfortunate. I always felt way you get better relations globally is by knowing people elsewhere as it is hard to hate any ethnicity or nationality once you meet people there. Still Americans need to understand this is not a minor dispute like softwood lumber or different positions on Iraq war. This is a fracture in trust and most Canadians no longer see you guys as allies or friends.
I always feared Trump would be much worse in second term and unfortunately my worst fears have shown true. Its hard to see anything good about this sorry episode and I really fear things are going to get worse over next 46 months before getting better. But if anything good comes, hopefully Trump’s disgusting presidency shows the world how dangerous right wing populism is and sends it to its well deserved political grave around the world.
afiscalconservativepointofview 