Toronto - Canada's federal election is the first major test of Donald Trump's impact on long-term U.S. allies' affairs, since he returned to power 100 days ago. He suffered serious losses.
The U.S. president’s attack on Canadian sovereignty has angered voters, and his trade war has threatened to subvert the economy of a country that relies on U.S. trade. This reversed the fate of the liberals, which was weary by voters who were expected to be elected for ten years, but saw itself as fighting for Canada’s survival.
Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre shares some similarities with Trump's style, which appeared to be the choice to become Canada's next prime minister a few months ago. Now, he left the parliament.
The Canadian election said 68.5% of qualified voters voted as the highest turnout since 1993.
Monday's liberal victory was thrilled to other U.S. allies under pressure from Trump and newly-mandated Prime Minister Mark Carney, who took a tough stance on the U.S. in trade negotiations and other foreign policy with a new mandate.
French President Emmanuel Macron has his own complex relationship with Trump and is congratulating him with the tariffs imposed by France and congratulating Carney, referring to the “elbow” slogan adopted by Canadians in resisting Trump’s resistance.
“You embody a strong Canada in the face of today’s challenges,” he wrote. “France is pleased to further strengthen the friendship that unites with our two countries. I look forward to working with you – 'elbow to elbow!'”
Despite Canadian voters’ concerns about the cost of living, crime and other issues, the election became Trump’s referendum on his deeply unpopular land.
Trump's annexation threat and trade war have made Canadian identity understandable to few Americans. These attacks were not only seen as insulting, but also considered as the stinging betrayal of the country’s closest friends and trading partners.
They inspired a wave of nationalism, often a country known for its defense rather than its flag.
The coffee shop replaced Americanos with "Canadians". Provincial wine shops clear American wine and spirits from the shelves. Canadians canceled their trip south of the border, began boycotting U.S. products, and played the U.S. national anthem in sports competitions.
Even Canada's biggest hockey hero, Wayne Gretzky, is now being rebuked for his personal friendship with Trump.
“If I say to him, ‘Mark, one day Donald Trump will be the president of the United States, he’s going to make you the Prime Minister of Canada on the one hand,’ he’ll call campus safety and take me home,” D-Conn. Rep. Jim Himes, of whom he attended school with Carney.
Trump admitted in March that he was promoting the fate of liberals but continued to launch attacks.
“I don’t care,” he repeated in an interview with Fox News’ “Ingraham Corner.” “I would rather deal with liberals than conservatives.
Trump also criticized Poilievre's efforts to distance himself from the president.
"Running conservatives are stupid. I don't know him, but he said negative things," he said, insisting that the result "is not relevant to me."
Some Trump allies suggest that Poilievre should run for uniting the United States and Canada, embracing Trump rather than criticizing him.
Instead, his efforts for his distance were considered too late.
With the vote, Trump truly supports himself.
“Good luck to the great people of Canada. Election of a person with strength and wisdom can cut the tax rate in half, freely increase your military power to the highest level in the world, own your cars, steel, aluminum, wood, energy, and all other businesses, all other businesses, four times, four times the size or tax, if Canada is zero tax, if Canada becomes the 51-year-old United States. “Many years ago, there were no lines drawn artificially. Look at the beauty of this land. ”
This led to Poilievre's condemnation.
"President Trump, stay away from our elections. The only person who decides the future of Canada is Canadians on the ballot box," the conservative leader wrote on Monday morning. "Canada will always be proud, sovereign and independent, and we will never be the 51st state."
When the then-President-elect began to mock former Liberal Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, the liberals fell 25 points - at risk of losing their party status, calling him the "governor" of the "big state of Canada" and threatening to make Canada the 51st state.
But Trump lost the foil when he resigned like a conservative. Trudeau resigned, consistent with Canadian tradition.
But the language war with Trump also benefited the former prime minister, who was able to spend his last days on the last day of defending the country’s sovereignty and embracing newly discovered nationalism.
After Canada beat the United States in a high-profile hockey game, Trudeau announced on X: "You can't take our country - you can't play in our game."
Canada is not the only Trump threat is the election in the background.
Greenland, where Trump threatened to take over, held an election last month, with a democrat party party for Jens-Frederik Nielsen, pushing people off the slow path of Denmark independence and winning surprise victory.
Although Nielsen rejected Trump's threat to control the island, the campaign focused more on issues such as health care and education than on geopolitics.
Vice President JD Vance and billionaire Elon Musk both accepted the alternative to Germany's far-right, and the German party lost its February election but still doubled its support, marking the strongest performance of the far-right since World War II.
In other countries, Trump’s support is also seen as a boon. Conservative figures such as Viktor Orban of Hungary, Javier Milei of Argentina and Giorgia Meloni of Italy, see him as the person they want.
In Canada, leaders marvel at how much Trump has done for the leaders he debated.
"At the White House, they should sit down and think about Trump's influence in the world," said former Quebec Prime Minister Jean Charest. "They will create this, and I'm not sure that's what they think. But that's what happened. What that means for them, because it's an interesting question to try to do things around the world politically."
"When will Trump people think about this and measure the consequences," Quebec Prime Minister Charest asked.
It's not the answer to Charest's question yet.
Trump acknowledged his role in the election interview held on Monday.
"You know, until I came to me and saw the conservatives lead by 25 points." "And then, I don't like Canadians, I threw the election into a close call, right? I don't even know if it's a close call."
The State Department congratulated Carney on Tuesday, as did the customs of allies. But the White House issued another statement referring to Trump's topic on Canadian annexation.
"The election will not affect President Trump's plan to make Canada cherish the 51st state," spokeswoman Anna Kelly said.