Ford seen on video saying he was '100% happy' Trump won U.S. election — until tariff threat
Ontario paused retaliatory measures to U.S. tariffs Monday after Trump delayed them by 30 days
PC Leader Doug Ford was captured on video after a news conference Monday saying he was happy that President Donald Trump had won the most recent U.S. election — that is until Trump responded with tariff threats that could cause massive harm to Ontario's economy.
"Election day, was I happy this guy won? One hundred per cent I was," Ford said. "But then the guy pulled out the knife and f--king yanked it into us."
Trump didn't threaten Canada with 25 per cent tariffs until weeks after his election win — though he was outspoken about his intention to use tariffs as part of his economic policy.
When asked about the comments Monday, a PC Party spokesperson referred to a statement Ford had made moments before at the same news conference, where he said he is "absolutely not" a Trump supporter any longer.
"It's just so disappointing. I'm sure there's millions of Canadians that thought 'OK, this might be a good change down in the U.S.' — [but] it's been a disaster," Ford said. "I'd never support that guy in my entire life.
"He goes up and just stabs you right in the heart. Forget that. We're supposed to be his closest allies, his closest friend. It's terrible."
Ford's views on Trump have shifted through the years. In 2016, before he became Ontario's premier, he told an interviewer that if he were American, he absolutely would have voted for him.
Then in 2019, while on a trip to the U.S., he described himself as a big Republican and a supporter of Trump, but also raised concerns about U.S. protectionism.
After news broke late Monday afternoon that potential U.S. tariffs would be paused for 30 days for further negotiations, Ford said he would hold off on implementing retaliatory measures in Ontario.
"We have some good news today. We have temporarily averted tariffs that would have severely damaged our economy, giving time for more negotiation and time for cooler heads to prevail," he said in a statement.
"With the U.S. pausing tariffs, Ontario will also pause our retaliatory measures. If President Trump proceeds with tariffs, we won't hesitate to remove American products off LCBO shelves or ban American companies from provincial procurement," he continued.
Ford's office also clarified the $100-million deal with Elon Musk's Starlink signed late last year would again go forward for now.
He then reiterated that Canada and the U.S. should stay focused on "the real trade war we're fighting, with China."
With files from John Rieti, Mike Crawley and Lucas Powers