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Today on TAP: Trump epitomizes the deadly combination of arrogance, ignorance, and incompetence. Will his gratuitous trade war be his first major reverse?

by Robert Kuttner February 3, 2025

Trump’s punishment of Canada, of all countries, is based on the bizarre premise that Canada is a major source of fentanyl. In fact, about 86 percent of fentanyl caught by U.S. customs is smuggled into America by U.S. citizens. Most of the uncaught fentanyl comes from China, followed by Mexico. The amount that comes in from Canada is trivial. Last year, some 23,000 pounds of fentanyl were intercepted from Mexico, and just 43 pounds of fentanyl from Canada, which would fit in a single checked bag at the airport.

Trump’s bullying pattern is to order an outrageous policy, browbeat the other side into real or token concessions, moderate his own policies, and then claim victory. In the case of Mexico, the ploy went according to script.

On Monday morning, after a conversation with Mexico’s president, Claudia Sheinbaum, Trump offered to hold off on the threatened tariffs for one month. In exchange, Sheinbaum agreed to send 10,000 Mexican National Guard troops to the border to try to intercept fentanyl smugglers and other illegal migrants. (The stock market damage has been muted because of this reversal.)

SNIP
Chrystia Freeland, the former finance minister who is vying to become Canada’s next prime minister, called for a boycott of American products as the best way to stand up to Trump and his “billionaire buddies.” Doug Ford, the conservative populist premier of Ontario, is Trump’s kind of guy, but not when Trump attacks Canada. He has called for a four-year war against Trump. Ford has been sporting a cap that reads, “Canada Is Not for Sale.”
https://prospect.org/blogs-and-newsletters/tap/2025-02-03-o-canada-trump-tariffs/

Trump screws up even with conservative Canadians.