AI Summary
5 min readTrump's Trade War With Canada Collapses — And He's Blaming His Own Party
President Donald Trump sat down with right-wing conspiracy theorist Glenn Beck this week and delivered a remarkable assessment of America's adversaries. "They are one of the worst countries in the world to deal with," Trump said. "They charge tariffs that are unbelievable, like on milk four hundred percent." He was talking about Canada. Not North Korea, not Russia — Canada. The president then pivoted to a bit about renaming Lake Ontario to "Lake America," a joke that fell flat even by his standards. "The cringing there, it's so embarrassing," one host said. "Like the Gulf of America stuff... it's not working."
How the Trade Talks Exploded
The collapse of U.S.-Canada trade negotiations this week had a clear culprit: Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick. According to reporting, Lutnick intervened at the last minute and upended the entire deal. The commerce department has jurisdiction over tariffs on steel, aluminum, and autos, so his late-stage meddling mattered. The Trump administration wanted Canada to eliminate "buy Canadian" programs without the U.S. dropping its own tariffs. They also pushed Canada to abandon French language requirements — a third-rail political issue in Quebec — and demanded Canada follow U.S. trade policies on steel in its bilateral deals with other countries.
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What you'll learn
- 1 (00:30) **Trump Calls Canada a "Mortal Enemy" on Glenn Beck** - The president rants about Canada’s tariffs on dairy, misnames Lake Ontario, and the hosts react to the absurdity of the trade rhetoric.
- 2 (02:51) **Why the Canada Trade War is a Political Loser for Trump** - Analyzing the unpopularity of the tariffs and the sovereignty issues that made it easy for Canada to push back.
- 3 (05:10) **The World is Tired of Trump’s Bluffing** - A broader look at how allies and institutions are now ignoring Trump’s threats, contrasting with earlier capitulations.
- 4 (06:09) **Trump Lies About Dolly Parton Liking Him** - The president claims the late singer was "of the opinion" that 20% of fans should lose their jobs, prompting a bizarre tangent.
- 5 (07:56) **Remembering Dolly Parton’s Legacy** - A sincere appreciation of the singer’s talent, self-deprecating humor, and her surprising role in funding the COVID vaccine.
- 6 (10:42) **Abdul El-Sayed Spars with Jesse Watters on Fox News** - The Michigan Senate candidate goes on the offensive, and the hosts debate whether it was a smart move.
- 7 (13:22) **Republicans Announce a Midterm Convention in Dallas** - The RNC is hosting a "Trouble Palooza" on September 9-10, headlined by Trump, which the hosts see as a gift to Democrats.
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Guests on this episode
Show Notes
Jon and Tommy react to Trump picking a fight with Canada and claiming that Dolly Parton "really liked" him. They also share their favorite clips of exploding robots from China's "Robot Olympics."
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