King Charles III voiced his royal support for our neighbor to the north on Tuesday, delivering a none-too-subtle dig at U.S. President Donald Trump while addressing the Canadian Parliament’s opening session and shading Trump’s fractious foreign trade policies.
“Today, Canada faces another critical moment. Democracy, pluralism, the rule of law, self-determination, and freedom are values which Canadians hold dear and ones which the government is determined to protect,” the British monarch said. “The system of open global trade that, while not perfect, has helped to deliver prosperity for Canadians for decades, is changing. Canada's relationships with partners are also changing.”
Canada is a member of the Commonwealth of former British colonies, making Charles III the country’s ceremonial head of state. Trump’s unpopular insistence on antagonizing one of our closest allies and his repeated, absurd assertions that Canada should become the 51st state in the U.S. have only served to unify the country in opposition to his imperial bluster.
Trump and his MAGA movement greatly underestimated Canadians’ fierce determination to protect their autonomy, which resulted in a resurgence of support and a decisive victory for Prime Minister Mark Carney and the Liberal Party in the country’s April elections.
Related | Canadians are so f-cking done with Donald Trump’s aggression
An obstinate and tone-deaf Trump has continued digging his heels in, claiming during a reality-impaired Oval Office meeting with Carney on May 6 that “We don’t do much business with Canada from [the U.S.'s] standpoint,” despite the U.S. importing $412.7 billion in Canadian goods in 2024 alone.
The king defended Canada’s sovereignty from the throne by using the country’s nickname: “The True North is indeed strong and free.”
If there’s a silver lining to Trump’s bellicose blustering, it’s that he seems to have a remarkable ability to unify the world … against him.
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