Few entities embody the brotherhood relationship between the United States and Canada like the Saginaw Spirit Junior Hockey Team.
In a place where fate has risen in recent decades, the Dow Jones Event Center Hockey Arena is located in Saginaw, Michigan, with more than 5,000 fans once these young stars get on the ice. A huge banner depicts players decorated with main streets into the city.
Almost all players aged 16 to 20 are from Canada and live with local Saginaw families during regular matches from September to April.
“They are almost family, they are almost family,” said Jimmy Greene, vice president of marketing and community relations at Spirit, “because players come here and are with American families. It’s not just sports.”
One of the most promising prospects for this year's National Hockey League Draft Draft is Spirit's 18-year-old Canadian captain Michael Misa. Last year, Saginaw Spirit won the Ontario Hockey League Memorial Cup for the first time. In the most recent season, this spirit has hit Canadian soil 28 times.
So the impact of Donald Trump on tariff regimes on Canadian goods is sharper in Saginaw than most other communities - just like the struggle in the Canadian election, the U.S. president's move toward Canada's 51st state is imminent amid a fierce opposition to such comments.
“We’ve been in a relationship for decades and suddenly, over the past few months, it’s been uprooted.”
"Of course, you'll be worried because you just don't know (what will happen next). At some point, that's going to cost us. I just don't know how much and how much."
As the largest city in the northern half of Michigan, located on a short drive from three Canadian border crossings, Saginaw is more closely linked to Canada than Canada. The Canadian company owns nearly 4,000 acres (1,600 hectares) of farmland in the county, and Saginaw established its first sister city relationship with its Canadian counterparts last year.
More importantly, it is a key political field and manufacturing county that pushed Donald Trump in the presidential election last November, but today, the community faces uncertainty about the trade war with Canada.
Michigan has a huge auto manufacturing industry that will be affected by Trump's trade struggle with Canada, rather than other U.S. states.
Ottawa imposed a 25% tariff on certain of its own U.S. auto products after Trump announced a 25% tariff on Canadian vehicles and parts (with some exemptions). Canada said tariffs were unreasonable, but on April 23, Trump warned that tariff numbers could increase.
Despite Trump's claim that the United States does not need goods produced by its northern neighbors, Canada has purchased more U.S. products than any other country in a purchase worth $35.6 billion. Nearly 40% of Michigan's exports go to Canada. In 2023, $1.7 billion worth of goods were exported in the Saginaw Metropolitan area, one of the highest items in any Michigan city, with most of them sent to Canada.
Nexteer Automotive employs about 5,000 people in Saginaw, while Means Industries is a city-based auto parts company that also owns a base in London, Ontario. The Guardian repeatedly calls and emails sent to the Saginaw Chamber of Commerce seeking information about specific local industries that may be affected by the tariffs.
Saginau is no stranger to economic ups and downs.
On a recent Friday afternoon, downtown was almost dead. Despite the recent success of the hockey team, there is no sports bar in any direction, as much of Saginaw's business is now concentrated near the strip mall north of the city center.
For Brad Pyscher, an official of the correctional facility and former union president, who equipped the Saginaw County Republican office in one of the strip malls on a recent Saturday afternoon, Canada's tariffs were shocking.
"People are worried, they hope this will be resolved," he said. "The shock and awe of (the tariffs) really surprised everyone."
The 54-year-old said he voted for independence all his life before he was promoted to president in 2016 before he was promoted to president before he supported Democrat Barack Obama.
"Whether you like him or not, Trump's things have transparency," he said. "I'm attracted to him because he's not a politician."
But Piser admits that Trump could have negotiated with Canada and then “shocked and awe. I think it was intentional, letting the world know he could do that,” he said.
"(with Canada), it should be better negotiated, much better. I hope the deal with Canada is soon and we can all leave it behind us."
Trump said one of his main motivations for issuing tariffs on Canada is to prevent illegal drugs from flowing into the United States. However, the report indicates that the opposite may be happening. Last month, $11 million worth of cocaine was confiscated at the Port Huron border crossing, 80 km (130 km) east of Saginaw - entering Canada. In December last year, about 1,000 pounds (450 kilograms) of cocaine were also caught.
Greene of Saginaw Spirit returns to the world of ice hockey and says he feels most of the people he interacts with can park their political feelings, starting with the group’s Canadian players, which is crucial to the team’s recent success.
"I think we all have made a concerted effort and while not making[the players]stupid and naive, we have done enough to make them feel comfortable in the environment and away from the political side. We have kept them in a sporting mindset."
But Green also realized that the tension with Canada is very dynamic due to the intensified White House policy.
"I had some hostile feelings towards Canada for us at some point, but until now, people were able to move politics away from sports. I think sports have beaten politics now," he said.
"Because we play in Canada and (because of) tariffs. I care more about how they feel about us. The way we feel about Canada has been and will always be good and friendly. I'm not just because of economic tariffs, but because of the emotions since then. I'll pretend foolishly."
Saginaw residents hoped that kind of fraternity was exhibited throughout the city last May, when hundreds of Canadian hockey fans from Saskatchewan who landed in the area at the Memorial Cup would not be a thing of the past.
"Everyone is very friendly. You've always been incredible owners," a Canadian hockey fan drove 11 hours from Quebec to participate in the game and told local media.