Trump’s threats on tariffs and takeovers aren’t random

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Is Donald Trump really trying to take over Canada, Greenland and Panama? No, despite the online trolling, the incoming American president doesn’t have designs on taking over the Great White North or any other sovereign country.

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We’ve seen the online jokes about Canada becoming the 51st state and of Justin Trudeau becoming the Governor of the Great State of Canada. On Monday, Trump’s son Eric posted an image that purported to show Trump shopping for other countries on Amazon.

With images of Canada, Greenland and Panama on what looked like the Amazon’s website, the button at the bottom said “Add to cart” as Trump looked down at his phone.

See, Canada isn’t alone in facing threats — like a 25% tariff — from Trump before he’s even sworn in as the 47th president. In recent days he’s mused about buying Greenland from Denmark and retaking possession of the Panama Canal which the United States held from the canal’s opening in 1914 until its handover in 1977.

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In the last week, he’s also threatened tariffs against the European Union unless they agree to buy more American oil and gas. For Trump, tariffs are an economic tool used to obtain an outcome.

His current tariff threat against Canada, and Mexico, focuses on border issues and security. For the most part, though, Trump is using tariffs or the threat of tariffs, to try and maintain or reestablish American economic and geopolitical dominance.

Trump, like many in Washington, is concerned about China. Unlike many in Washington, Trump isn’t concerned about following established conventions that rely on diplomatic niceties to achieve his goals.

Thus the threats against Panama and Greenland. While it may seem random, China is making plays in regard to both countries.

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China already operates ports on either side of the Panama Canal giving them control of two of the five key ports. As for Greenland, China is looking for any opportunity to expand access and influence in the Arctic, especially in relation to resources which they have openly said they should have ownership of despite not being an Arctic nation.

“China is an adversary of the United States. Regardless of its rhetoric to the contrary, its actions — and, increasingly, its words as well — show that China views us as a foe. It poses a military, diplomatic, and economic threat,” wrote Robert Lighthizer in the introduction of his 2023 book No Trade is Free.

Lighthizer was Trump’s trade representative in his first term and, along with fellow China skeptic Peter Navaro, has helped inform much of Trump’s trade policies. It’s important to note and understand that Lighthizer also takes a different view on tariffs than what is generally accepted in the halls of power in Washington, Ottawa or the rest of the G7.

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Neither Lighthizer, nor Trump, see them as detrimental to the American economy and they take issue with the impact during the Great Depression under the Smoot-Hawley Act of 1930. In Trump’s world, tariffs are a way to protect American workers and their jobs, to level the playing field for American companies or force an outcome from countries that want access to the most vibrant economy on the planet.

Trump won’t be sworn in for nearly another month, but his various threats are already resulting in action and forcing realignment.

The Trudeau government is looking at measures they can take to act on illegal migration across the Canada-U.S. border and the cross-border shipment of drugs and ingredients to make fentanyl. Mexico is looking at the issue of Chinese materials being unfairly dumped into the Mexican market to take advantage of CUSMA and access to the American market.

We have four more years of dealing with Donald Trump as president, there will be more threats and despite what our commentators will say, they won’t be due to the random acts of a lunatic. They will have a reason and purpose behind them even if they seem bizarre to us.

What we need from Canadian leaders is the ability to try and understand Trump and his actions and act accordingly.

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