Ontario Premier Doug Ford went on a media blitz across major US networks on August 25, urging President Donald Trump to dial down the hostilities and sit down for a proper negotiation. The same politician who recently told Trump to “kiss my ass” is now extending something closer to an olive branch.
The pivot comes days after the US slapped 50% tariffs on roughly $20-28B worth of Canadian imports, a move that effectively torched months of trade negotiations between the two countries. Canada’s response has been swift and predictably symmetrical: Prime Minister Mark Carney announced matching counter-tariffs, including a doubling of duties on US steel and aluminum to 50%, set to take effect September 8.
From insults to diplomacy
In earlier rounds of this dispute, Ford called Trump a “dictator” and a “loser.” Trump returned fire by labeling Ford a “flunky.” Now Ford is making the rounds on Bloomberg Television and CNN, essentially arguing that both sides need to stop the name-calling and start talking specifics. His core message: get the leaders in a room, hammer out something fair, and stop letting personal grudges dictate economic policy.
Ford isn’t exactly caving. He made clear that he still supports Canada’s retaliatory tariffs and repeated his position that “no deal is better than a bad deal” when it comes to protecting Ontario’s manufacturing base. The province is home to a massive chunk of Canada’s auto industry, steel production, and advanced manufacturing, all of which sit squarely in the crosshairs of Trump’s tariff regime.
