The leader of Canada’s Conservative Party has seized on Donald Trump’s remarks about the upcoming Canadian election to distance himself from the United States president amid slumping poll numbers.
Trump said in an interview with Fox News this week that he didn’t care who wins the upcoming federal election in Canada but that he would “rather deal with a Liberal than a Conservative”.
On Wednesday, Pierre Poilievre said the US president — whose tariffs and annexation threats against Canada have fuelled widespread anger in recent months — had effectively endorsed new Prime Minister Mark Carney’s Liberal Party.
“Yesterday, the president said that having a Liberal prime minister would be easier for him to deal with, just as he threatened once again to make us the 51st state,” Poilievre told reporters in Sudbury, Ontario.
“On that point, it’s true: I’m a strong leader, a tough guy to deal with. I’m firm in my convictions, and I’ll always …