Poll says 79% of Canadians view Trump unfavourably due to tariffs war

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Canadians are increasingly in support of retaliatory measures in response to U.S. President Donald Trump’s tariffs, according to a new poll.

The Angus Reid poll says half of Americans say Canada is “a valued partner and ally,” while only 15% of Canadians say same of the U.S.

The data finds Canadians feeling angry (55%), betrayed (37%) and anxious (29%) ahead of the implementation of tariffs on Canadian goods entering the United States.

And while we may be down, we’re not out as the proportion of those who support retaliatory measures in response to Trump’s tariffs has grown since January.

There’s has been a six-to-eight-point increase in support for three policy responses, including a blanket 25% tariff on U.S. goods (66% support), targeted tariffs on key U.S. imports (70%), and a ban on critical Canadian exports to the U.S. (65%).

Otherwise, Canadian views of Trump and his country have been pushed to historic lows.

The poll says three-quarters view the United States unfavourably (73%), three times the number who say the opposite (24%), and just 17% hold a favourable view of the president, compared to four in five (79%) who view him unfavourably.

The survey also found Trump’s senior adviser and “special government employee” Elon Musk is viewed equally as bad in Canada with four in five (79%) viewing him negatively, and seven in 10 (71%) supporting a moratorium on Tesla sales in Canada.

The poll says the United States’ 24% favourability is only four points higher than China’s (20%) and well behind the United Kingdom (82%) and Mexico (75%).

When asked what a successful outcome from the tariff threat would be, three in five say that it would be Trump backing down entirely while a handful (4%) say reduced tariffs would be a win and 28% say there’s no winning.

Half of Canadians (51%) believe their government should approach the U.S. as a threat to national interests (38%) or an enemy (13%) with those views skyrocketing from November (13% threat, 2% enemy)

The Angus Reid Institute conducted an online survey from Jan. 10-13, 2025, of 2,027 Canadian adults with a probability sample of this size carrying a margin of error of +/- 1.5 percentage points, 19 times out of 20.

ARI conducted a second online survey from Jan. 10-13, 2025, among 2,010 American adults with a probability sample of this size carrying a margin of error of +/- 1.5 percentage points, 19 times out of 20.

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