TORONTO: U.S. President Donald Trump on Tuesday said he wouldn’t mind if the Liberal Party won the upcoming Canadian election, saying: “I’d rather deal with a liberal than a conservative.”
Trump has taken a tough stance toward Canada, imposing tariffs on Canadian imports and repeatedly threatening to make it the 51st U.S. state.
During an interview on Fox News’ “The Ingraham Angle,“ host Laura Ingraham pointed out that Trump’s treatment of Canada could propel the ruling Liberals to win the next election and lead a government that’s hostile to the U.S.
“I don’t care,“ Trump responded. “I think it’s easier to deal, actually, with a liberal and maybe they’re going to win, but I don’t really care. It doesn‘t matter to me at all.”
Trump then took aim at the Liberals’ main opponent, Conservative Party Leader Pierre Poilievre.
“The conservative that’s running is, stupidly, no friend of mine. I don’t know him, but he said negative things,“ he said. “When he says negative things, I couldn’t care less.”
The Liberals, who have been in power since Justin Trudeau was elected prime minister in 2015, just weeks ago looked headed toward certain defeat to the Conservatives in an election that must be held by October 20 and may happen earlier.
But the party is mounting a major comeback after replacing Trudeau with former central banker Mark Carney. Several recent opinion polls have shown the Liberals closing the gap or even ahead of the Conservatives.
The Liberals have portrayed Poilievre as a right-wing populist in the same vein as Trump. A Liberal advertisement accuses Poilievre – a career politician who supported an anti-government movement during the COVID-19 pandemic – of resembling Trump.
A Liberal party spokesperson said in a statement Tuesday that Poilievre “would give into Trump’s demands.”
Poilievre has adopted the slogan “Canada First” in the face of U.S. threats, and sought to tie Carney to the former Trudeau government, which lost popularity in recent years in part as a result of the cost of living and a deepening housing crisis.
The Conservative Party of Canada didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.
