Folks, I almost spilled my coffee reading this one. President Donald Trump is at it again, attacking Canada with claims that are just plain false. I mean, I’ve seen some wild things in my time, but this guy takes the cake. According to CNN, Trump has been making all sorts of outlandish claims about our neighbors to the north, from saying they want to become the 51st state (um, no) to claiming they have ridiculously high tariffs on US agricultural products (not quite). It’s like he’s trying to win some kind of bet on who can come up with the most creative fiction.
I’m not sure what’s more astonishing, the fact that Trump thinks he can just make up facts and get away with it, or the fact that his supporters seem to eat it up like candy. I mean, come on, folks, Canada is a country with a thriving economy, a strong military, and a whole lot of nice people who don’t appreciate being lied about. And yet, Trump just keeps on trucking, spewing out falsehood after falsehood like they’re going out of style.
One of the most egregious examples is his claim that Canada’s unemployment rate is 10% and rising. Nope, not even close. According to the stats, Canada’s unemployment rate is actually around 6.4%, and it’s been going down for months. And don’t even get me started on his claims about Canada’s trade policies. It’s like he thinks he can just magic up some numbers and expect everyone to believe him.
And then there’s the issue of Canada’s agriculture tariffs. Now, I’m no expert, but even I know that the US and Canada have a complex trade relationship when it comes to agricultural products. But Trump’s claim that Canada’s tariffs are “ridiculously high” and are causing a $60 billion trade deficit? That’s just not true. In fact, most US agricultural exports to Canada are tariff-free, and the ones that aren’t are subject to quotas that the US doesn’t even come close to filling.
Somewhere in Atlanta, a producer thought this sounded terrifying, but really, it’s just a bunch of hooey. The US trade deficit with Canada is actually driven by US imports of Canadian energy, not agricultural products. And if you look at the overall trade picture, including services, the deficit is actually much smaller than Trump claims.
You can’t make this stuff up, folks. Well, actually, Trump can, and does, on a regular basis. But the rest of us should be able to see through the nonsense and call him out on it. After all, as the great philosopher, Ronald Reagan, once said, “Facts are stubborn things.” And in this case, the facts are stubbornly opposed to Trump’s wild claims.
In conclusion, Trump’s attacks on Canada are not only false, but they’re also damaging to our relationship with a key ally and trading partner. It’s time for him to stop making things up and start dealing in facts. And if he can’t do that, well, maybe he should just stick to tweeting about his favorite TV shows. Bless their hearts.
Armchair patriot. Believes in the free market, cold beer, and that there’s always a guy named George behind every CNN segment.
Former remote-throwing champion turned #1 couch commentator on liberal panic in the media. Born in Texas (or so his mug says), he earned a degree in Fake Newsology & Beer Philosophy from YouTube University.
