“As Canada’s international trade minister and foreign minister, I learned that the only thing that works with this president is strength.”
Chrystia Freeland, writing in The Atlantic:
Throughout two years of negotiation, Trump and his minions insulted and demeaned Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and me, calling me a “nasty woman” who “hates America.” In 2018, he imposed illegal and unjustified tariffs on Canadian steel and aluminum. Canada then did something that much of the world has forgotten how to do: We fought back, with dollar-for-dollar reciprocal tariffs. Because ultimately, the only thing that works with this president is strength.
During our years of negotiating, we developed a three-part playbook for handling the Trump administration. It eventually got us to a great deal, and it can help America’s allies deal with the White House today. First: Look for areas where you agree and can work together. Second, apply the doughnut strategy: Yes, the president is important, but he is just one figure in the middle of a big country. Be sure to talk with Americans in the rest of the doughnut, not just in the Oval Office in the middle. Third, and most important: Do not capitulate.
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Chrystia Freeland’s article in The Atlantic is also archived.