Thousands of U.S. President Donald Trump’s most ardent followers have gathered in Dallas for “Trump-a-palooza” this week – and many are parroting the president’s constant bashing of Canada.
asserted
many → gather → Canada
Lona Heins from Tennessee said Canada is now “communist” and no longer shares the same values as the United States.
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Canada → say → States
“It’s contentious.
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It → ’ → ?
I think Canada is socialist.
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Canada → think → ?
It’s much, much more socialist,” she said.
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she → ’ → ?
“And I’m not even going to say that word anymore.
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I → go → word
It’s communist.
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It → ’ → ?
We share different values now.”
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We → share → values
Like many Trump supporters at the unusual two-day Republican midterm convention, Heins spoke highly of Canadians and said she knows many people north of the border.
Heins, 58, said she was raised in South Dakota with family in North Dakota and Canadians were like family back then.
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Canadians → speak → family
“What I see in Canada is not the Canada I remember growing up,” she said.
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she → see → Canada
She said her change in opinion didn’t come from bilateral tensions over trade, which she wants to see resolved.
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she → say → which
She said she needed more information before speaking about the trade dispute.
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she → say → dispute
“I wish that there was a way for them to fix it but I stand with my president,” she said.
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she → wish → president
“I’m here for Donald J. Trump.
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I → ’m → Trump
It makes me sad but I hope there’s a way they can come to an agreement.”
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they → make → agreement
Thousands of U.S. President Donald Trump's most ardent followers have gathered in Dallas for a Republican convention and many are parroting the president's constant comments bashing Canada.
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many → gather → Canada
The Canadian Press
Trump on Tuesday escalated the trade war with Canada, signing executive orders to ban a range of Canadian exports and shuffle tariffs on others.
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Trump → escalate → others
Most imports of Canadian-made liquor, motorcycles, and a handful of dairy products will be banned from the United States at the end of September.
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imports → make → September
Tensions between the countries have been riding high since trade talks broke down last month.
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talks → rid → countries
In response, Trump hit an array of Canadian goods with 50 per cent duties and Canada responded with its retaliatory tariffs earlier this week.
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Canada → hit → tariffs
While headlining the midterm convention on Wednesday, Trump talked about his move to change the name of Lake Ontario to “Lake America” and claimed Canada is desperate for a trade deal.
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Canada → headline → deal
The president was more subdued than usual in his comments about the United States’ northern neighbour, which he’s threatened to annex for nearly two years.
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he → threaten → years
That could be because polling shows Trump’s tariffs and his move to rename Lake Ontario are widely unpopular ahead of the critical November midterm elections.
But Trump’s anti-Canada rhetoric seems to be seeping down to his followers.
uncertain
rhetoric → show → followers
Gallup polling published in March shows Canada’s favourable rating among Republicans has fallen 23 points, from 85 per cent in 2025 to 62 per cent this year.
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rating → publish → cent
Matthew Lebo, a political-science professor at Western University in London, Ont., said in an increasingly polarized United States, voters are more likely to look to their political leaders and adopt their opinions, even if they go against their own interests.
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they → say → interests
“When the leader of a political party, and somebody that 20 to 30 per cent of people are totally devoted to, says that Canada plays dirty and that they are unfair and they’ve been taking advantage of us for ages and all that, then the people who listen to them are going to believe that,” Lebo said.
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Lebo → say → that
On the flip side, Lebo said Trump’s overt hostility toward Canada also shores up the opinions of people who don’t like him.
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who → say → him
Gallup polling shows around 95 per cent of Democrats continue to rate Canada positively.
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cent → show → Canada
U.S. President Donald Trump made an extraordinary pledge Wednesday during the GOP midterm convention to give every American adult $5,000 if Republicans retain control of Congress, without providing details on how such a thing would be possible - or whether it's even legal.
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it → make → details
Democrat senators, including Foreign Relations Committee ranking member Jeanne Shaheen, issued a statement Wednesday saying Trump is doubling down on a “senseless trade war.”
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Trump → include → war
The senators, who represent states that rely on Canada as a key trading partner and export market, said the tariff war is resulting in higher costs for families and businesses.
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war → represent → families
“Congressional Republicans need to stand up to the president and do their part to give families and businesses on both sides of the border relief from this insanity,” the statement said.
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statement → need → insanity
Lebo said the shifting opinions about Canada among Republicans stem from Trump’s most faithful supporters putting their complete trust in what the president says.
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president → say → what
It doesn’t necessarily come from an understanding of current issues between Canada and the United States, he added.
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he → come → Canada
When asked about Canada-U.S. trade tensions, rally attendee MaryAnn Miron said Canadians ought to get rid of Justin Trudeau – who announced his resignation in January 2025 and was replaced by Mark Carney as prime minister in March of that year.
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who → ask → year
“I feel sorry for you all with Trudeau,” she said.
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she → feel → Trudeau
“I think you guys are in a crappy situation and he needs to be outted.
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he → think → situation
And I think a lot of that is going to help solve the problem between the countries, but I wish you guys the best.”
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I → think → best
When informed that Trudeau is no longer prime minister, Miron said, “I haven’t been watching the news.”
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I → inform → news
The Aporia
