Poilievre says he’s a ‘tough guy to deal with’ in response to Trump
U.S. president said it is ‘easier to deal’ with a Liberal than a Conservative, and Canada’s Tory leader is taking it as a compliment
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OTTAWA — U.S. President Donald Trump said it is “easier to deal” with a Liberal than a Conservative, and Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre is taking it as a compliment.
“You know what? On that point, it’s true,” said Poilievre, speaking to reporters at a press conference hosted by a construction company Sudbury on Wednesday.
“I’m a strong leader, I’m a tough guy to deal with. I’m firm in my convictions and I’ll always put Canada first,” he added, referring to his latest slogan, “Canada First,” which he has been repeating since the start of Canada’s trade war with the U.S.
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Poilievre said it is no wonder that Trump would rather have to deal with a Liberal prime minister instead of him, pointing to how, in his view, Liberals have been blocking energy resource projects, hiking taxes and driving investments to the U.S. in the last nine years.
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He also pointed to Brookfield Asset Management’s decision to move its head office from Toronto to New York, which happened under Liberal Leader Mark Carney’s tenure as chair.
The decision happened around the same time as Trump was re-elected for his second term in the U.S. He threatened 25 per cent tariffs on Canada and Mexico on his first day in office.
Pointing to the workers behind him, Poilievre said: “While these people here were worried about losing their jobs, Mark Carney was busy moving jobs to Trump’s hometown.”
“That’s exactly the kind of weak, compromised, conflicted leadership that Donald Trump wants, and it’s why he endorsed Mark Carney yesterday.”
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Trump did not explicitly endorse Carney during his interview with FOX News.
In the interview, which aired Tuesday evening, Trump was asked about the changing polls in Canada which show that Carney’s Liberals could form the next government after the next election — instead of Poilievre’s Conservative party who had previously enjoyed a comfortable lead.
“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 said.
The U.S. president went on to take a shot at Poilievre, saying that “the Conservative that’s running is stupidly no friend of mine.”
“I don’t know, but he said negative things. So, when he says negative things, I couldn’t care less,” he said.
It is not the first time that Trump has criticized the leader of Canada’s Conservatives.
In an interview with the Spectator published in February, Trump said that Poilievre’s “biggest problem is he’s not a MAGA guy,” referring to his “Make America Great Again” slogan. “I mean, he’s really not, he’s not a Trump guy at all,” Trump added.
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“Mr. President, it is true. I am not MAGA. I am for Canada First. Always,” Poilievre wrote on X in response.
In that same interview, Trump seemingly warned Conservatives, like Poilievre, not to puff their chest so fast.
“They all make that mistake,” he said. “They think they’re going to be the tough guy and they’re going to knock out Trump, and they end up getting the hell beat out of ‘em.”
National Post
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