Eric Ham is based in Washington, D.C. and is a political analyst for CTV News. He’s a bestselling author and former congressional staffer in the U.S. Congress and writes for CTVNews.ca.
Once again, U.S. President Donald Trump’s predatory brand of American imperialism is rising up in efforts to devour another nation, waging a costly trade war to bring an indispensable friend and partner into submission.
Like so many actions emanating from this administration, the White House’s latest offensive against Canada comes with no clear mandate and without the support or backing of the majority of its citizens.
In fact, as Trump and his coterie of officials escalate the rhetoric and attacks against Canada, many Americans are finding their patriotic fervour; just not towards their own country. Freedom and independence, the hallmarks of America’s origin story, are now fuelling a new narrative as the people denounce its government and rally to protect the sovereignty and democracy of a one-time ally and friend.
Republicans back Bombardier
A recent Reuters/Ipsos poll found that a large majority of Americans do not support a trade war with Canada. Moreover, the Angus Reid Institute shows that people of the United States hold a more favourable view of Canada and Canadians than they do of their own president’s policies towards their northern neighbour.
Republican lawmakers, American businesses and trade associations are calling in unison for de-escalation and continued negotiations with Canadian officials. Jerry Moran, a Republican senator who represents the state of Kansas, came out in defence of Bombardier after Trump recently threatened the Canadian manufacturer. The company is responsible for thousands of jobs in the Midwestern state that is now in the crosshairs as the president takes direct aim at Canada’s companies.
The senator said in a social media post: “I reached out to the Trump administration to make certain the President is aware of the significant contributions of Bombardier to Kansas and the importance of its presence in Wichita to many Kansas workers at Bombardier and in the Bombardier supply chain.”
Fellow Kansas Sen. Roger Marshall voiced the same support in a social media post Tuesday, saying “I’m going to fight to keep Bombardier’s over 1,200 Kansas jobs. I’ve already taken that concern inside the Oval Office.”
Since coming back to power, Trump has made no secret of his desire for the United States to catch Beijing in the rare earth minerals race. Unlawful invasions in Venezuela to usurp control of vast oil reserves along with a reckless and unilateral military offensive in Iran were all done to seek American dominance of global energy markets.
Resource grab
Trump’s takeover efforts of Greenland and Canada continue to drive his maniacal push for control of these two sovereign and independent nations. Greenland alone holds an estimated 36 million metric tons of rare earth elements, making it one of the largest untapped reserves in the world. The United States imports four million barrels of oil per day from Canada. That crude flows to U.S. Midwest refineries are built to process its heavy oil into gasoline, diesel and jet fuel.
Equally, American farmers are even more dependent on Canada for potash, a fertilizer essential to crops such as corn and soybeans. More than 80 per cent of U.S. potash imports come from Canada.
The Great White North also supplied 85% of U.S. electricity imports in 2023. Electricity imports could potentially grow even more demanding as U.S. tech companies’ AI surge pushes those needs even higher.The president can bluster all he wants about needing nothing from Canada.
The fact is the U.S., a nation whose economy is 13 times the size of its northern neighbour, desperately needs Canada’s natural resources in order to maintain its robust and outsized growth. Yet, as it threatens to cut off longstanding trade relationships and decades-old alliances, the Trump administration acutely recognizes the dependence it has for the global economy.
In fact, some Chinese suppliers have refused to export rare earth minerals to the U.S. since the beginning of August. The global critical minerals market remains heavily concentrated in leading suppliers, with China being the leader in the mining and refining of many of the metals, International Energy Agency said in a July report.
China has banned or restricted vital rare-earth exports to specific U.S. companies in retaliation for American military and trade backlists. While the U.S. still powered the global economy in many ways, there are limits to that power. President Trump is seeking to break such limitations, but in doing so is breaking generational bonds, the economy, and even American support for its own government, under his leadership.
The idea of America is something all of its citizens firmly embody. People the world over dream of making their way to its shores. A bulwark against tyranny; a beacon of freedom; a nation whose value rests in and with its people whose ingenuity, dreams and ambitions are now under threat. And as Canadians bear the brunt of Trump’s economic blitzkrieg, Trump finds more and more of his citizens rallying not behind him, but behind the Canadian flag.
