President Donald Trump avoided a trade war with Canada after negotiating stricter border regulations with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. Many online refuse to credit the president for this victory.
In a recent tweet from Trudeau, Canada is committed to implementing its $1.3 billion border plan. Through this, the US-Canada border will be reinforced through increased resources, new choppers, and technology. 10,000 personnel will be stationed to protect the border. Aside from all this, Canada made a bold move to list cartels as terrorists and intends to appoint a ‘Fentanyl Czar.’ What the latter’s mandate would mean in terms of curbing drug flow in Canada is unknown for now. Nevertheless, proposed tariffs on both sides will be paused for 30 days. Canada, like the other countries Trump threatened with tariffs, isn’t in the clear yet—but this is a small victory.
Many social media users thanked Trudeau for standing up to Trump. One wrote on X, “So, Trump caved again. Thank you for standing up to him.” Other social media users egged on Trump’s blunder even further, citing the sharp fall of the S&P 500 in the stock market after the tariffs were announced. As one X user puts it, “Canada largely called Trump’s bluff. Stock markets tanked this morning because of the tariffs coming on Tuesday, and Trump had to cave.”
Diplomacy wins
Meanwhile, some Trump supporters claim that it was Trudeau who caved to Trump’s threats. They uphold the belief that allies are dispensable. After all, Trump has been peddling the notion that other countries—friend or foe—had been “ripping off” the United States for years. Never mind that this proposed border policy from Trudeau had been launched ahead of Trump’s presidency in December 2024. Never mind that the proposed border policy from Trudeau had been proposed ahead of Trump’s presidency, in December 2024. It seems that a cordial dialogue is incomprehensible to those who only see the language of force as an option. This isn’t “caving,” it’s called negotiating. Simply put, both parties have to make concessions in order to get what they want.
Regardless, Trudeau managed with the hand he was dealt. He responded with tariffs of his own, and Trump became magically amenable to the border solution that Canada proposed months ahead. What truly matters is that these tariffs were avoided for the sake of Americans and Canadians alike.