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.
This is not good news, though such pronouncements are often mere negotiating tactics.
🚨 JUST IN: President Trump says Canada and Mexico NEED AMERICA to survive, so he "doesn't care" about updating the USMCA trade agreement
TARIFFS WORK 🇺🇸
"I don't care. I mean, I don't really want to. I'd rather be independent. Here's the thing, Mexico and Canada need us. We… pic.twitter.com/ekbmBnI6FS
— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) July 28, 2026
