LILLEY: Ford's new harsh tone on Trump a really dumb idea

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There’s been a marked change in Doug Ford’s tone when speaking about Donald Trump and it could become a big problem for Canada.

Ford has gone from criticizing Trump’s policies to making things personal with the U.S. President, and that’s something that won’t go over well in Washington.

Since the start of this debacle at the end of November 2024, Ford has walked a fine line in speaking about Trump’s policies. He’s been the most outspoken Canadian leader on the issue; he’s gone hard against Trump’s tariffs and talked about the need for working together to grow both economies.

Now, he’s taking personal pot shots at the President.

“Do you trust President Trump? I don’t,” Ford said Wednesday.

He made that comment while answering questions from reporters on renegotiating the Canada-United States-Mexico Trade Agreement. Based on the agreement, it’s scheduled to be up for renewal next year, if not sooner, and Ford is announcing to the world that he doesn’t trust the guy we need to seek a deal with?

“Ontario premier says he doesn’t trust Trump and warns the US president could reopen trade pact,” read the headline from the Associated Press wire service that was picked up by newspapers and websites across the United States.

Just to hammer the message home, Ford went on CNN on Thursday morning to further explain his dislike for Trump and blast the American President.

“He’s probably the most disliked politician in the world, in Canada because he’s attacked his closest family member, and that’s the way we look on it,” Ford said.

Is this the kind of comment that is going to get tariffs lifted on steel, aluminum or auto parts?

Look, I get the frustration Ford is feeling, but this is not how you get a deal with your biggest customer. Ford should listen to his own advice when it comes to trying to get deals.

“You have to respect your largest customer. The U.S. is our largest customer; we respect them, but it has to go both ways,” Ford said.

Anyone listening to how Ford speaks about Trump would say that it doesn’t sound respectful. That may play fine to the folks in the cheap seats who just want to yell orange man bad and scream about Trump, but like him or not we have to deal with him, and Ford’s rhetoric and tone won’t help.

It’s also odd coming from someone who is a disciple of Dale Carnegie and his book How to Win Friends and Influence People.

Ford brings up this book all the time, he recommends it to people, in most instances he appears to have internalized its message. Whatever you think of Doug Ford, he’s a master at building relationships and using them for his own advantage or the advantage of the province.

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With his tone on Trump, maybe he needs to read the book again, or take a break, because he’s sounding as nasty as Justin Trudeau or British Columbia Premier David Eby.

Again, it’s not like Ford hasn’t been tough on Trump’s policies in the past, he just hasn’t made things personal. The Americans do notice what is said about them north of the border and they will notice this change with Ford.

“Nobody here thinks he’s out of line with his rhetoric,” a well-placed Trump source told me about Ford ahead of his February trip to Washington.

“Ford! What a beauty!” a Trump confidante told me at the time.

Now, they won’t be saying that.

“We see the personal attacks that, you know, certain Canadian politicians are making,” Trump’s Ambassador to Canada Pete Hoekstra said the other day in an interview with CBC. “The White House is very cognizant of what goes on in Canada.”

Now, they will be paying attention to Doug Ford for all the wrong reasons.

I’m sure there are Canadians who would never vote for Ford but will cheer him on for this stance. That’s a really dumb position to take if you care about the Canadian economy and Canadian jobs.

The goal here isn’t to kiss up to Trump, it’s to get a deal that works for Canadian workers. Insulting your negotiating partner as Ford has started to do is a losing strategy.

blilley@postmedia.com