Boo hoo, Donald! We all knew this would happen

By Anya Bredenkamp, March 26 2026—

U.S economic isolation is becoming a reality — and Trump doesn’t seem to be helping himself.

I am a fierce patriot. Even though I happen to be a dual citizen of Canada and the United States, my allegiance to Canada has never faltered. And that’s why I can confidently say that when President Donald Trump faces deteriorating ties with Canada, and he still takes every step to insult, humiliate and frustrate Canadian diplomacy and integrity, it should come as no surprise to him that Prime Minister Mark Carney took the hint and shifted his focus elsewhere. 

Let’s break this down. 

I must admit, I see the value behind Trump’s protectionist policy. Strengthening domestic production couldn’t hurt — it will probably lower prices, ensure labour standards are met, and bring opportunity and cash to his home soil. I get it. I typically do associate myself with Republican/Conservative politics, but I think I’ve reached the line. 

It gets harder to agree with this policy, as a Canadian, while Trump is simultaneously pushing us as one of his largest trading partners away with each passing day. In referring to Prime Minister Carney as “Governor Carney,” he’s totally rejecting the idea of an independent, sovereign Canada and implying that Carney is but a leader of a 51st American state (another topic he won’t drop). 

I find that distasteful and frankly a low blow. According to the CBC, Trump recently threatened even MORE tariffs on Canadian planes if the Canadian aviation regulators don’t move forward in certifying American aircraft. You can’t make this stuff up. 

So it makes complete sense to anyone who’s been paying attention why Carney gave a globalist speech in Davos on Jan. 20, 2026. He made it very clear that if middle powers can unite against the Americans, a whole lot of countries might form alliances and construct a new world economy that excludes the U.S. I don’t know if anyone has told this to Trump yet, but if you want an export economy, you need countries that will buy from you. And it’s not looking good. 

Carney has decided not to play cat-and-mouse, and dump the Trump relationship. When I say he took the hint, I mean he moved to the next best thing: China, India, and Australia. Since a mutually beneficial trade relationship with the U.S. is clearly not an option at this point, China, India, and Australia are the obvious next choices for large-economy trading partners. Carney was in Beijing at the end of January to negotiate a trade deal. He was also just in India to negotiate yet another trade deal, and as of early March, is a new developing a new relationship with Australia.  

The hot topic of the China deal regarded Canada accepting thousands of Chinese EVs at a reduced tariff rate. Trump’s main fear appears to be that Canada could be used as a sneaky port of entry for Chinese vehicles into the U.S., which is not the case, as Dominic LeBlanc made explicitly clear, clarifying that the trade deal was merely a “resolution” on trade issues, not a free trade agreement. 

Trump’s entire approach comes off as aggressive and whiny. It doesn’t take a genius to understand why the largest global economies are placing distance between themselves and the U.S.A. Clearly, he wants to grow domestic production, but I can’t help but wonder what exactly he expected. If the plan was to isolate the USA, he appears to be succeeding. But this whole macho, big man, ultra-USA direction may end up being more of a flop for the U.S. economy. The U.S. could be missing out on some stellar trade deals by making itself the enemy.