What to know
- Obama mocked Trump’s tariffs on Canada during an Oct. 24 campaign rally in Detroit.
- He jokingly called Canada a “well-known evil empire” before praising Canadians as “the nicest people.”
- The U.S. recently removed 50 per cent tariffs from some Canadian goods while adding duties to others.
- Canadian reactions ranged from nostalgia for Obama to frustration over the deterioration in Canada-U.S. relations.
Barack Obama took a few shots at Donald Trump’s trade war with Canada this weekend — and Canadians seemed more than happy to be in on the joke.
The former U.S. president was campaigning in Detroit on Saturday when he turned his attention to Trump’s tariffs and the increasingly strained relationship with America’s northern neighbour.
“The big trade war he’s starting now is with that well-known evil empire, Canada,” Obama joked.
He then leaned into some extremely Canadian shorthand.
“These are the people who gave us Martin Short and maple syrup,” he said. “They are the nicest people.”
Obama also mocked Trump’s repeated talk of annexing Canada and making it the 51st state, while arguing that tariffs have pushed up costs for American consumers.
Canadians were very into the Obama nostalgia
The clip quickly made its way across social media, where some Canadians sounded almost wistful.
“Thank you, Canada loves you Obama,” one person wrote.
Another said: “I miss Obama’s humour & relatability. Signed, a Canadian!”
One user was more emotional about seeing him back on the campaign trail.
“I’m just soaking it all in!” they wrote. “It’s SO good to see him again.”
Another simply said they were glad “former presidents are speaking out finally.”
The Canada-Trump frustration came through too
Other reactions focused less on Obama and more on the trade fight itself.
“He’s right. We’re mad as hell. We’ve been friends and strong allies and now this?” one Canadian wrote.
Another person questioned the logic of “picking a fight with Canada while trying to claim you’re good at foreign policy.”
One commenter thanked Obama while joking that Canada “never asked to be anyone’s enemy,” adding that Canadians just want their trade back and their “maple syrup respected.”
The frustration has plenty of real-world context.
Trump imposed 50 per cent tariffs on roughly $20 billion worth of Canadian goods after trade negotiations collapsed in August. Canada responded with retaliatory tariffs of its own.
On Oct. 23, Trump removed those tariffs from some Canadian products, including certain forestry and agricultural goods, while adding duties to other categories. The shift came days before the Nov. 3 U.S. midterm elections.
For some Canadians watching Obama’s speech, though, the politics briefly took a back seat to the tone.
“I agree! I love Canada,” one person wrote.
Sometimes all it takes is maple syrup, Martin Short and a former president reminding everyone that Canada was supposed to be the easy neighbour.
