President Donald Trump has found himself on the wrong side of the numbers—and the ridicule—after CNN’s data guru tore into his latest spat with Canada.
“When you pick on Canada as the United States president, you are picking on a country that the American people adore,” CNN’s Harry Enten said Monday. “When you’re going after Canada, you are going against someone who is far more popular than you are, Donald Trump.”
Enten didn’t just throw shade; he brought receipts. Graphics behind him highlighted the stark contrast: Canada’s net approval rating in the United States stands at a soaring +49, while Trump lags at a meager -10.
“We’re talking about Canada coming out nearly 60 points ahead on the net popularity rating versus Donald Trump here, in the United States!” Enten said. “No president has come anywhere close to how popular Canada is right now, and Donald Trump certainly is long, long away, he cannot see Canada from his house when it comes to his net popularity.”
Trump’s feud with Canada is far from new. Since assuming the White House for a second time in January, he has routinely sparred with Canadian officials—and even hinted, half-jokingly, at turning the U.S.’s closest ally into the 51st state. His jabs at former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau were so relentless that current Canadian leader Mark Carney worked the popular “Never 51” slogan into his campaign.
The latest flare-up erupted over an Ontario government ad criticizing Trump’s tariff policies. The video features former President Ronald Reagan’s 1987 words warning of the dangers of high tariffs:
“When someone says, ‘Let’s impose tariffs on foreign imports,’ it looks like they’re doing the patriotic thing by protecting American products and jobs. And sometimes for a short while it works—but only for a short time. High tariffs inevitably lead to retaliation by foreign countries and the triggering of fierce trade wars. Then the worst happens: Markets shrink and collapse; businesses and industries shut down; and millions of people lose their jobs… America’s jobs and growth are at stake.”
Trump responded aggressively, halting trade talks with Canada and imposing higher tariffs, claiming without evidence that the province had manipulated Reagan’s words. Ottawa, unsurprisingly, called his response “unfounded political theatre” and vowed to defend Canadian industries against what it labeled reckless U.S. protectionism.
The data tell a brutal story for Trump. Americans now favor Canada over him by nearly 60 percentage points, according to the CNN-analyzed poll.
“Pretty much every single time among most Americans, Americans will choose Canada over Donald Trump, and yet Trump has decided to pick yet another fight with somebody, some entity or some country that is more popular than he is,” Enten said.
And it’s not just U.S. voters. Canadians’ view of Trump is even bleaker.
“They hate Donald Trump, they hate everything that he’s doing,” Enten said. “Canadians who say America is an enemy or potential threat, in 2023 it was 7 percent. Look how high it’s gone now, we’re talking about 48 percent! And the Trump administration has a net popularity rating in Canada of minus-58 points. So Americans love Canada, but Canadians no longer love the United States of America.”
Trump may be confident in his combative approach, but the numbers suggest a reality he cannot ignore: when it comes to Canada, he is punching well above his popularity weight.
Watch the clip below from CNN:
