Donald Trump brags that he cost Pierre Poilievre federal election
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Mark Carney’s Liberals won, NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh is resigning as party leader, and Pierre Poilievre not only lost the election but also, shockingly, his own riding after serving as MP for 21 years.
And all of that is due to U.S. President Donald Trump — according to Trump.
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Donald Trump brags that he cost Pierre Poilievre federal election Back to video
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“You know, until I came along, remember that the Conservative was leading by 25 points,” the American president boasted in an interview with The Atlantic published on Monday.
“Then I was disliked by enough of the Canadians that I’ve thrown the election into a close call, right?” he told the publication ahead of the vote.
“I don’t even know if it’s a close call.”
Just a few short months ago, the Conservatives were enjoying extraordinary popularity — and their lead over the Liberals seemed insurmountable.
And then we all know what came next: Trump was elected, Justin Trudeau stepped down as Carney took over as Liberal leader.
Amid all that, Trump started his “51st state” talk and then began imposing tariffs on Canada, before branching out to other countries as the outlooks for global economies have significantly worsened amid all the uncertainty.
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Trump loomed large over Canada’s election campaign, even surfacing on Election Day, effectively asking in a Truth Social post for Canadians to vote for him.
The U.S. leader drove many votes to the Liberals, which Carney capitalized on, and in his victory speech, the PM referred to the U.S. president as an ongoing existential threat for the whole nation — but declared that Trump will never break Canada.
However, Trump’s sovereignty threats continue.
“I say it would make a great 51st state,” Trump told The Atlantic.
“I love other nations. I love Canada,” he continued. “You know, they do 95% of their business with us. Remember, if they’re a state, there’s no tariffs.”
Atlantic editor Jeffrey Goldberg noted that Canada as a state would probably lean left, but Trump said, “A lot of people say that, but I’m OK with it if it has to be.”
Trump reasoned that the Tories were doing fine, indicating that there was some level of support for conservative policies in Canada.
“They didn’t like Governor Trudeau too much,” Trump added cheekily.
“I would call him Governor Trudeau, but he wasn’t fond of that.”
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