r/politics • u/Winter-Gift1112 • 23h ago
No Paywall El-Sayed: If you’re starting a trade war with Canada, ‘you’re the a‑‑hole’
https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/6062022-el-sayed-slams-canada-trade-war/550
u/Tea_Alarmed 23h ago
And he’s right, the US has been getting the better end of the relationship since 1815
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u/Tsar-A-Lago Canada 22h ago
Everyone gets the better of it; it's mind-blowing that these fucking people are this thick.
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u/TheTastiestTaint Canada 22h ago
No...its supposed to be even, like when you goto the store to buy something and the store guy has to buy an even amount off you or its a scam.
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u/VRNord 22h ago
Canada: 40m people.
USA: 350m people.
Trump: so unfair we buy (slightly and sometimes) more from you than you buy from us, country 11% of our population! We don’t need you! Also don’t cut off our cheap Canadian oil, potash and electricity..39
u/TraditionDear3887 22h ago
Canada buys more from the US than they do us as soon as you remove oil from the equation.
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u/PM_ME_YIFF_PICS Massachusetts 21h ago
If you remove the 10 big macs a day from Trump's diet, he's actually quite healthy!
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u/Thanks-4allthefish 20h ago
And don't get me started on how far it jumps if you include digital services.
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u/My_Pockets_Hurt_ 21h ago
What a terrible argument, lmfao.
Of course things would skew the other way if you remove the largest part from one side
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u/TraditionDear3887 21h ago
So then why doesnt America just tarrif oil if that's where most of the trade imbalance is?
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u/Nekrabyte 21h ago
Because they already know that gas prices are going to have a huge effect on the mid terms, and jacking up Tariffs on oil is going to jack up prices on one of the few things Americans actually care to notice every single day - what they pay at the pump.
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u/ForMoreYears Canada 21h ago
Pretty sure it was rhetorical bud
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u/Nekrabyte 20h ago
Sounded like a legitimate question to me, friend, especially considering his post right before that. Either way it's not like there's not a TON of rhetorical questions that get responses around here haha
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u/TraditionDear3887 19h ago
So I think we can both agree that the USA doesnt want to stop buying Canadian Energy, and Canada doesnt want to stop selling it to them.
So why should we include this on a list of trade irritants?
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u/whatlineisitanyway 18h ago
Canada could really screw with the US economy if they wanted to. Just not selling them oil anymore would probably cause $6 gal gas.
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u/samsounder 22h ago
Canada reminds me of my grandfather. He was HUGE in construction. He'd negotiate like a mother, get the stingiest deal possible, and then give folks 5-10% back. Folks respected him as a businessman and wanted to do more business with him next time. He was tough and kind at the same time.
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u/Tsar-A-Lago Canada 21h ago
Sounds like the kind of guy Trump thinks he is.
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u/Nekrabyte 21h ago
Oh don't worry, Trump KNOWS he's that kind of guy. He knows it with every fiber of his being, even if the rest of us can see the obvious snowflake of a terrible "deal maker" that he is.
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u/Wrathblade 18h ago
Kind of you to think of us that way. Thanks for that. I'd like to think that our mentality is in seeking an even compromise where everyone walks away with most of what they want, and all are better for it. At the same time, we're a principled people, and we really don't like bullies very much; every hockey team has enforcers to keep the other guy honest.
Really wish the US administration just kept to the damned deal they forced us to renegotiate last go 'round. Now we have to stomp toes and kick shins with our steel-toed boots at the idiots trying to punch down at us.
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u/SamuelClemmens 17h ago
So while I think free trade is an unimaginably good system that brings massive prosperity for everyone and lifts literal billions out of poverty. that isn't the argument.
Its that if you have a NET trade deficit you are on the road to ruin and need to course correct.
In your example yes you have a trade deficit with the grocery store, and your landlord, and the utility companies, and your car payments... all trade deficit.
But you have a massive trade surplus with your employer that at least covers it.
If it doesn't that isn't a problem, unless it never covers it. Then you need to make some major changes.
The free trade view on that is "skill issue, get gud", Trump's is "What if use this gun I have laying around..."
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u/Ill_Act_1855 2h ago
This isn’t really true either for countries. In the first place, the stuff we’re importing has and generates value in and of itself. If you stop importing steel, and don’t have enough of your own, then you can’t make cars. Money isn’t really the only measure of the wealth of a nation in the way it is for a person and comparing individual finance to national finances is fundamentally stupid. A good example is debt. while the US having too much debt could certainly be a problem (though there are actually fringe schools of economic thought that would debate this, and nobody knows how much is too much), having some debt is actively a good thing for nations in a way that’s not really true for personal finances.
The US is also primarily a service economy nowadays, most of our wealth isn’t generated in a way that could show up in a trade deficit on either side of the equation.1
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u/Mistrblank 21h ago
They don't want everyone to get the better of it. They're the only ones that want anything good. That's the point. And it's fucking unreal that anyone keeps voting for these tools thinking they're somehow gonna catch a stray buck while they're eating dog food.
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u/AlbacoreJohnston 18h ago
Conservatives see life as a zero sum game. They aren't winning unless others are losing.
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u/tehwagn3r 11h ago
US is screwed without fertilizers. Canada has for long been the largest supplier, and the world's biggest potash exporter. Now, if US can't or won't import that from Canada, who benefits?
The second and third largest exporters in the world are Russia and Belarus. Is the Orange Fuck actually less stupid and more malicious than you'd think, and actively trying to pivot US imports to them instead? No sane US administration would, but here we are...
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u/aveli_nola 22h ago
Starting a trade war with one of your biggest trading partners makes even less sense when the relationship has been so economically beneficial to the U.S. over the years.
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u/MattinglyBaseball 20h ago
Meanwhile not imposing tariffs on Russia while he has done so on the majority of our long term allies at this point. Asshole is putting it way too nicely considering the severity of what he and the Republicans are.
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u/abbriell_elyn 22h ago
He’s got a point, especially when the trade relationship has benefited the U.S. for so long. A trade war seems like a pretty unnecessary way to handle it.
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u/No-Cranberry6148 23h ago
Being the biggest asshole you can be, and being proud of becoming that person, is what Trumpism has always been all about.
Incidentally, it's the exact opposite of what Jesus told people.
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u/NergNogShneeg 23h ago
If those people could read they would still tell you that you are wrong and that isn’t what Jesus meant.
“You are missing the context”15
u/TraditionDear3887 22h ago
you are missing the context
Then they will turn around and quote a random passage from Leviticus to justify their bigotry
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u/Legend_of_Moblin 22h ago
That's just the direction American culture has been trending for decades.
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u/lasers42 23h ago
That other sub is falling over themselves to agree with Bessent that America should get what they want from Canada on the basis that Canada is not able to resist in any meaningful way.
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u/noemik_sunrayx 22h ago
It’s wild how quickly “America First” turns into “they’re weaker, so they should just give us what we want.”
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u/Low_Chance 21h ago
That's the only argument I see out of them these days. Nothing about right or wrong... just "they can't really stop us lol"
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u/Tiny_Structure_7 North Carolina 22h ago
Must be the conservative sub. Conservatives have completely outdone themselves to be self-centered, ignorant assholes. They aren't America. They are the dark underbelly of America.
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u/westside222 7h ago
They are exactly how the rest of the world sees America. They are your representatives in the presidency, the Supreme Court, the congress, the senate… if they’ve been granted control of every aspect of your society, that is your society.
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u/ialo00130 Canada 20h ago edited 20h ago
Reposting this comment from another thread due to relevancy, with minor changes:
Bessent is either a moron or is just stoking the flames.
An occupying force needs about 20 - 25 soldiers per 1000 people to succeed. That would mean the US would need 1.6m to 2.2m soldiers to successfully occupy Canada. The.miltary currently employs 1.32m people, of which a significant chunk are desk jockeys or are stationed elsewhere overseas. How many of that 1.32m would actually obey the order to invade Canada without Congressional approval? Iran is one thing, Canada is a whole other ballgame that includes NATO and many cross border relationships. They risk their military bases in places like Japan, Australia, or Europe being closed by the nations they are in, and American citizens or military personnel openly revolting.
But let's say they do get all 1.32m personnel onboard. A full force of 1.32m would mean they would need to make a choice between keeping control of the small rural towns where the resources are, or the metro areas where the people are. They could not do both. What are they going to do when the rural folk (aka the resource workforce) refuse to work and/or just disappear into the woods? What are they going to do with a metro area full of angry Canadians? The only way to do both is by increasing numbers... through a military draft, which is an historically unpopular idea.
Additionally, Canadians look, sound, and act like Americans. The Canadian Military would unfortunately immediately roll over, but they would put up a good initial fight. The after effects would turn into guerilla warfare for the Canadian military, with many non-military Canadians fighting as well. The US would need to spend the time and resources to train every single one of their invading force on anti-guerilla tactics. Also, Canada is big with plenty of places to hide. A guerilla campaign by Canadians would leave vital transportation infrastructure vulnerable; the US can't defend it all. Overnight, bridges, wharfs, airport runways, and railroads, would be destroyed to prevent US troop movement; the only way in or out of much of the mineral rich northern regions is by plane, rail, boat, or iceroad. I also like to think that many Americans are not even remotely prepared for Canadian winter and it would turn out like Napoleon in Russia, if it got that far.
The US isn't going to invade Canada becuase even they know it is not feasible in the long term. What your government is doing currently is going the proxy route through Alberta. Break up Canada internally by influencing separatism; if successful, either annex or economically influence as a client/puppet state. Unfortunately for the US, it's not really working and the Separatists are the laughing stock of the entire country, including 2/3 - 3/4 of Albertans.
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u/im_dead_sirius 13h ago
A guerilla campaign by Canadians would leave vital transportation infrastructure vulnerable; the US can't defend it all.
Plus a bunch of the guerrillas would infiltrate the US. The USA cannot even curtail mass shootings from its own dispossessed, so a game of "boom-boom infrastructure" would be successful for Canadian partisans.
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u/HiIary4Prison 17h ago edited 14h ago
A competent US military could take Canada in less than 24 hours via a bombing raid then move in, secure Ottawa, and run the country.
A ground invasion is not necessary here.
Obligatory thank you to the Canadian government for disarming law abiding citizens like myself but letting in international criminals by the airplane whom are brandishing illegal weapons in our public parks for social media. Fucking wild.
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u/tackle_bones 16h ago
Flyin in them plane loads of armed international criminals, b. What did you do today?
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u/EducationalRock167 22h ago
They would be surprised. Didn't they say that about , Iran. ? Why do you think that some Americans ware Canadian Flags , when they travel outside the USA. Trump , has pissed off every Nation in NATO with insults and tarriffs. " Go ahead! Make our Day! "
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u/hey-you-guyyyys 22h ago
As a Canadian who just came back from the UK, they can tell still if you are American. They were able to identify us as Canadians anywhere we went. It's easily identifiable by accents.
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u/OWSpaceClown 21h ago
It's true. I went to Hong Kong in 2017 and Japan in 2026, both times worried they'd think I'm American. But somehow, they just know. I also just get the impression that they know MAGA folks just aren't travelling around the world.
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u/BillNyeIsCoolio 17h ago
I went to Japan in 2025 and my only bad experience while there was a very loud American group insisting to cut lines and yelling at the staff that it was too cold outside to wait in a line outside.
It wasn't that cold. No one else had problems waiting outside.
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u/OWSpaceClown 17h ago
I also recall walking around DisneySea and coming across what looked like American teens openly ridiculing the Japanese accent. I suppose it’s possible they were Canadian but…
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u/BillNyeIsCoolio 17h ago
The group I saw was clearly American as they were wearing American jewelry. Very proud to show off they were American.
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u/ClubSoda 23h ago
This is not America.
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u/EducationalRock167 22h ago
It is America. It's true self. The USA is no longer pretending that they are the World's good guy.
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u/Continental__Drifter 20h ago
This is America with the mask off.
Fucking ugly as hell.
Take a good, hard look in that mirror.
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u/YDALTARYZARC 7h ago
It's like those parents who teach their kids to squish bugs simply because the bugs are smaller than them.
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u/specqq 23h ago
If you’re Donald Trump you’re the asshole.
It would even be fair to say that you’re THE asshole.
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u/No-Cranberry6148 23h ago
He is the king of assholes. He is the gigantic asshole they all aspire to be.
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u/WearyInvite6526 22h ago
This might be literal considering he has a long and documented history of his stool….. escaping without resistance during production of and on national television
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u/night_dude 22h ago
I'll never forget a therapy session I had around 2019, first Trump term. My first with a new therapist.
We were discussing emotional regulation and selfless behaviour, and she asked me for an example of someone with absolutely none of either, as a sort of "0" on the scale. I thought for a moment and said Donald Trump... and she said something like "he's the perfect example, a lot of people say that."
This is in New Zealand btw. So he is literally the global poster boy for assholeism and has been for basically a decade
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u/Gonnagetbant 22h ago
They already had free trade, but Trump viewed those unreachable import caps as ways of getting more from Canada. He has never wanted equivalent trade, he has always wanted unfair deals for Canada that he can walk around and brag about. Either that or bribes. Unimaginably corrupt.
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u/Huge_Excitement4465 22h ago
Beaverton’s recent headline: Art Of The Deal author fails to secure deal with friendliest nation on planet.
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u/Money_Percentage_630 23h ago
Accurate.
Bonus points if you were the one who demanded and signed the current trade agreement.
"This trade deal is unfair! Only an idiot would agree to this!"
You are the one who signed it, yes you are an idiot, no the deal is not unfair.
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u/EducationalRock167 22h ago
Trump bragg about signing Cusma. His first term deal. Then Trump said , " Who is the idiot who signed that terrible , Cusma deal? " So what is your point again. Trump , wants Canada to join the USA. This is a MOB SHAKEDOWN.
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u/PooShappaMoo 23h ago
Unfair to canada. Moved the goalposts then.
Moved them again now.
Team rapist embezzler felons rise up. Oh and the red necks too for so long as you are useful. Oh and the religious people that dont quote the book they use to incite hate.
And those random misogynists and tick tok warriors or and ....
Im tired boss
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u/theguy1336 22h ago edited 20h ago
Thank you Canada for not bowing to the US, and for waging trade war on them
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u/platinumarks 20h ago
Except for the 50% retaliatory tariffs?
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u/Skensis 20h ago
The dems really need to unify around undoing all of Trumps tariffs, both from this term and his last.
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u/PvtMilhouse 20h ago
Things can be undone but USA status will never go back to what it was.
They elected the guy twice(once after the world saw clearly that he was trying a coup).
Americans are not serious people. No one on earth gonna trust the USA for a long long time.
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u/ChemBro93 22h ago
Canadian here: rooting for all the anti-Israel DSA candidates. First time I’ve felt a glimmer of hope from American politics since I became an adult and learned more about the political history of the US. Fuck that Taco and his loser fascist movement.
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u/imtheproof 17h ago
I've been hoping that El-Sayed presses the trade war issue really hard to increase his chances of winning. I believe that it would be influential in the election in a similar way that "Trump being an asshole" was influential in getting Carney into power. That's my hope, at least. I would think that Michigan, of all states, would take great issue to how Trump is treating Canada. Almost half of my state's population could be in Canada within an hour from home. I'll find out in about 2 months if that's true or not.
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u/keirdagh 6h ago
There's a lot of people in Michigan who also still blame NAFTA for taking their jobs and want all manufacturing brought back. Most American Auto Unions did not oppose the auto-tariffs until Canada started fighting back.
Mass layoffs leave deep scars.
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u/platinumarks 21h ago
What candidate would that be, then? Because El-Sayed isn't a DSA member and has described himself as a capitalist.
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u/RainyRobin 9h ago
Seriously. Canada is our most chill neighbor (sorry Mexico, no offense meant). It's been infuriating seeing these total clowns ruin our international relationship and knowing because of them we'll probably never be as tight again (or at least not in my lifetime).
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u/readmorebookskids 8h ago
Yes. He is correct. Dementia Don has some demented idea that "force is cool" and in reality we see how "cool" it's absolutely not.
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u/Infamous_Athlete_806 15h ago
Exactly people love making arguments that conveniently ignore all the facts and context.
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u/PostalBowl 9h ago
In order to enter a trade war with Canada the mad king has had to break every contract thr USA ever signed. Going directly from friend to enemy is a lot to take all at once. The next time any of the stars of the Epstein files calls Canada nasty names how about you stand up and say, "No they're not! They are our friends, our family, and our beloved tourists." There is a class war behind all of this, join a union, find a collective voice and speak out.
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u/LowellForCongress Tennessee - Verified 19h ago
I remember calling our tech an eh-hole, as he's Canadian.
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u/Intelligent_Top_328 18h ago
If you get Hasan I Hate America Piker to campaign with you, you're also the ass hole.
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u/mbene913 I voted 15h ago
Trump has certainly shown to be more anti America than this Piker but how come his campaigning with candidates is never scrutinized by you people?
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u/E400wagon 23h ago
Interesting but I was under the impression also that many left leaning Democrats are in favour of tariffs to protect local jobs and industries
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u/MJcorrieviewer 23h ago
It's like how Reagan said in his famous address - there is a place for targeted, specific tariffs. That is not what Trump is doing.
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u/Biokabe Washington 23h ago
Tariffs are neither inherently bad nor inherently good. They're simply a tool, and like any tool they can be used well or misused.
For example, the tariff on steel has merit. Chinese steel is massively cheaper than American steel, for a variety of reasons. If allowed to freely circulate in the American market, it would likely drive most or all American foundries out of business. That, in and of itself, would be fine. However, steel is a strategically important resource. In the event of a war, the last thing you want is to be dependent on a foreign power for steel. So you introduce a steel tariff to make American steel cost-competitive with Chinese steel.
Of course that's not the only way you could prop up a strategically important resource, but it is a way to do so, and one that has historically been used to great effect. And that's why tariff rates are typically negotiated over a period of years through close coordination with experts on both sides of the agreement who understand the industry and can propose rates that maintain national interests while not grossly distorting the marketplace.
Contrast that with Trump's tariffs, where he simply drops an arbitrary tariff rate on an entire country's goods with no consideration, no logic, and reasoning entirely dependent on his personal whims.
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u/rainman_104 21h ago
The flip side is to have quotas. A way of getting the price down but prevent dumping. That's what Canada has on dairy despite the few confused people who still think there is a tariff.
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u/Efficient-Cable-873 9h ago
Incorrect.
The goal is to push more US manufacturing and production because out of country products are now more expensive because of tariffs.
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u/ClubSoda 23h ago
Chinese steel is not strong as US steel.
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u/Biokabe Washington 22h ago
And?
Even granting that assertion, so what? Most of the market doesn't need the strength of US steel vs. Chinese steel. It just needs to be sufficiently strong for the application. If Chinese steel is strong enough while being 50% cheaper, most steel purchasers will go for Chinese steel.
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u/WhatAmTrak 23h ago
Hence why it’s sold for much cheaper, and why tariffs are in place so china doesnt flood americas market because they sell it for half the price.
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u/Heppernaut Canada 23h ago
Yes. Joe Biden for instance left Trump's tarifs on China and subsidized American manufacturing through the CHIPS act.
You can grow at home without throwing sand in everyone else's eyes. It is not zero sum
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u/EducationalRock167 22h ago
Many American industries have subsidies.
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u/sxyaustincpl Texas 7h ago
Every single farm and ranch in America would be corporate owned by now if it weren't for subsidies, or to say it more plainly, socialism is the reason families still own their farms & ranches.
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u/EducationalRock167 22h ago
Trump's Tarriffs hurt all Americans. They don't care what party that you belong to. 🙄
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u/everything_is_absurd 21h ago
Incredible analysis. Canada has a reputation for being polite, therefore any trade dispute with them is illegitimate. Very serious person
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u/2ndBrreakfast 20h ago
If you support far right Islamic extremists and terrorists, you're also an asshole. A very massive and foul-smelling asshole.
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