By ROB GILLIES
TORONTO (AP) – Ontario Premier Doug Ford expressed on Thursday that he hopes U. S. President Donald Trump’s Republicans lose control of both the House and Senate in the upcoming midterm elections, suggesting that voters should hold Trump accountable for his escalating trade tensions with Canada.
“Hopefully he’s going to lose the Senate. He’s going to lose Congress. I hope so, and hold him accountable,” Ford stated. “But we’ll see how that goes. We aren’t going to interfere in the U. S. election.”
Ford has become one of Trump’s most vocal Canadian critics, claiming that Trump is attempting to take jobs away from Ontario and shift them south as both leaders exchange personal barbs and threats.
His remarks came just two days after Washington intensified the conflict by prohibiting certain Canadian dairy products, motorcycles, and most alcoholic beverages following Canadian retaliatory tariffs on about $20 billion worth of U. S. goods. Trump also aimed to exclude Canadian products from significant long-term U. S. government contracts.
“He’s not reliable at all,” Ford mentioned. “He could make a deal today and then change his mind. And we’ve seen that over and over again.”
Despite this, Ford believes that Trump wants to reach an agreement before the midterms, urging Canada to reengage in negotiations as soon as possible.
“I truly believe President Trump wants a deal before the midterms,” Ford said. “I could be wrong, but I think it’s best that we sit down and get a deal.”
Carney noted later on Thursday that he remains in regular communication with Trump and had spoken with him “a couple of times” over the past few days regarding Ukraine, Iran, and other international matters.
“We continue to have work with the United States. We can compartmentalize across this,” Carney explained, adding that collaborating despite their trade dispute was part of both countries’ responsibilities.
Last year, Trump abruptly called off trade talks with Canada after Ford’s Ontario government aired an anti-tariff commercial in the United States featuring former President Ronald Reagan’s criticism of tariffs.
The feud has often turned personal. In an interview with The Associated Press last month, Ford mocked Trump for having a portrait of Reagan near his desk while implementing tariffs Reagan had criticized, saying Reagan would be “throwing up on him from the picture if he knew what was going on.”
Trump described him as “the less charismatic, intelligent and overall unimpressive brother of the late, great Rob Ford.”
Trump also signed an executive order instructing the U. S. government to refer to Lake Ontario as “Lake America,” a name Canada does not recognize.
Ford remarked on Thursday that Trump’s actions had unintentionally empowered Canada by prompting it to lessen its reliance on the United States.
“The only two good things Donald Trump has ever done for Canada,” Ford noted were that “he woke us up” and “he united the country like I’ve never seen before.”
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