{"id":76957,"date":"2026-08-11T12:05:04","date_gmt":"2026-08-11T12:05:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.pantheregroup.com\/2026\/08\/11\/posthaste-trump-might-think-canada-is-nasty-but-most-americans-dont\/"},"modified":"2026-08-11T12:05:04","modified_gmt":"2026-08-11T12:05:04","slug":"posthaste-trump-might-think-canada-is-nasty-but-most-americans-dont","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.pantheregroup.com\/2026\/08\/11\/posthaste-trump-might-think-canada-is-nasty-but-most-americans-dont\/","title":{"rendered":"Posthaste: Trump might think Canada is nasty, but most Americans don't"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Donald Trump might think Canada is nasty, but most Americans don\u2019t share his view, finds a new poll. <\/p>\n

Data from the Angus Reid Institute out this week show that 79 per cent of the Americans surveyed have an \u201coverwhelming positive\u201d view of their northern neighbours. <\/p>\n

During a speech in Las Vegas this month, President Trump used the adjective \u201cnasty\u201d five times to describe Canada. <\/p>\n

\u201cCanada\u2019s nasty. They are. They\u2019re nasty,\u201d he said. \u201cI love the people, but they\u2019re nasty. Nasty leadership.\u201d <\/p>\n

Relations between the two countries have become increasingly tense in Trump\u2019s second term as the U.S. President slapped Canada with tariffs and threatened annexation. <\/p>\n

The latest barrage of duties is set to land in just over week after Trump signed proclamations for 50 per cent tariffs on hundreds of Canadian products. <\/p>\n

The poll may express some of Canadians\u2019 frustration about this, as a resounding 79 per cent of those polled said they view Trump unfavourably, with 69 per cent saying their view is \u201cvery\u201d unfavourable. <\/p>\n

The majority of Canadians, 48 per cent, also view Americans in general unfavourably though a significant minority, 45 per cent, view them positively. <\/p>\n

Before Trump returned to office, few Canadians believed the U.S. was threat, but that situation has changed. Now the majority of Canadians believe that Ottawa should approach the U.S. with caution as a potential threat or even an enemy, said Angus Reid. <\/p>\n

Most Americans, 78 per cent, on the other hand, feel their government should be approaching Canada on friendly terms as a valued partner. <\/p>\n

Even 69 per cent of self-described MAGA Republicans view Canadians positively, compared with 17 per cent who don\u2019t. <\/p>\n

Why the big gap in perceptions? One reason is that Americans aren\u2019t paying attention, said Angus Reid. The trade dispute is a big deal in Canada, but not so much in the United States. <\/p>\n

While the majority of Canadians, 54 per cent, said they are following the latest tariff threats \u201cclosely,\u201d only 23 per cent of Americans are doing so. More than that \u2014 25 per cent \u2014 hadn\u2019t even heard about them. <\/p>\n

Americans, who have heard about them, are more likely to oppose the tariffs against Canada than support them, but opinion is divided along party lines. <\/p>\n

Over 70 per cent of MAGA Republicans support Trump\u2019s latest tariffs, while non-MAGA Republicans are split with 34 per cent supporting and 40 per cent opposing. <\/p>\n

Less ambiguity among Democrats \u2014 89 per cent are firmly against. <\/p>\n

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Sign up here to get Posthaste delivered straight to your inbox.<\/strong><\/em> <\/p>\n

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\"\"<\/strong> <\/p>\n

\"<\/p>\n

Federal finances are looking better \u2014 at least for the first two months of the 2026\/27 fiscal year. Ottawa\u2019s budget deficit narrowed in April\/May to a combined $1.4 billion compared with $9.9 billion a year ago. <\/p>\n

Revenues were up 15.5 per cent year over year and program expenses rose by a moderate 3.7 per cent, leading to a $9.4 billion surplus before interest expenses, said BMO chief economist Douglas Porter, who brings us today\u2019s chart. <\/p>\n

\u201cThe less-good news is that public debt charges have risen 3.3 per cent, pulling overall finances back into the red,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n

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\"\"<\/p>\n

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  • Today\u2019s Data:<\/strong> United States existing home sales, NFIB Small Business Optimism<\/li>\n
  • Earnings:<\/strong> Constellation Software Inc., Franco-Nevada Corp., Peyto Exploration & Development<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
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    <\/figure>\n
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    \"\"<\/strong> <\/p>\n

      \n
    • Why the slow rollout of a federal tax credit is feeding anxiety in Canada\u2019s clean-tech sector <\/li>\n
    • The stock market bull case just got stronger <\/li>\n
    • Garry Marr: Your severance could be a financial windfall, if you handle it right<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
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      \"\" <\/p>\n

      Getting laid off is brutal. In the heat of the moment, few people think of losing their job as anything less than catastrophic. <\/p>\n

      But when it comes with a severance package intended to cushion the financial blow, it can also be a windfall. Financial Post columnist Garry Marr talks to the experts about how to maximize the benefit and limit the tax consequences of your payout. Find out more <\/p>\n

      \n

      <\/span>\"\" Interested in energy? The subscriber-only FP West: Energy Insider newsletter brings you exclusive reporting and in-depth analysis on one of the country\u2019s most important sectors. Sign up here. <\/p>\n

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      Are you worried about having enough for retirement? Do you need to adjust your portfolio? Are you starting out or making a change and wondering how to build wealth? Are you trying to make ends meet? Drop us a line at <\/span>wealth@postmedia.com<\/span> with your contact info and the gist of your problem and we\u2019ll find some experts to help you out while writing a Family Finance story about it (we\u2019ll keep your name out of it, of course).<\/span><\/div>\n
      \n

      McLister on mortgages<\/h2>\n

      Want to learn more about mortgages? Mortgage strategist Robert McLister\u2019s Financial Post column can help navigate the complex sector, from the latest trends to financing opportunities you won\u2019t want to miss. Plus check his mortgage rate page for Canada\u2019s lowest national mortgage rates, updated daily. <\/p>\n

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      Financial Post on YouTube<\/h2>\n

      Visit the Financial Post\u2019s YouTube channel for interviews with Canada\u2019s leading experts in business, economics, housing, the energy sector and more. <\/p>\n

      \n

      Today\u2019s Posthaste was written by Pamela Heaven with additional reporting from Financial Post staff and Bloomberg.<\/em> <\/p>\n

      Have a story idea, pitch, embargoed report, or a suggestion for this newsletter? Email us at posthaste@postmedia.com . <\/p>\n

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      • The share of homes being built that Canadians can buy is plummeting<\/li>\n
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        Posthaste: Trump might think Canada is nasty, but most Americans don't<\/a>
        \n
        2026-08-11 12:05:04<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

        Donald Trump might think Canada is nasty, but most Americans don\u2019t share his view, finds a new poll. Data from the Angus Reid Institute out this week show that 79…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":76958,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[31],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-76957","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-economy"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pantheregroup.com\/api\/wp\/v2\/posts\/76957","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pantheregroup.com\/api\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pantheregroup.com\/api\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pantheregroup.com\/api\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pantheregroup.com\/api\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=76957"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.pantheregroup.com\/api\/wp\/v2\/posts\/76957\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pantheregroup.com\/api\/wp\/v2\/media\/76958"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pantheregroup.com\/api\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=76957"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pantheregroup.com\/api\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=76957"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pantheregroup.com\/api\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=76957"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}