The Toronto Star, Canada’s largest daily newspaper, has labeled President Donald Trump a “bully” after he announced tariffs on America’s neighbor.

Trump placed a 25 percent tariff on all imports from Canada (and Mexico), as well as a 10 percent duty on energy imported from Canada over the weekend, saying the measures were part of a crackdown on fentanyl trafficking and illegal immigration.

Canada has responded with its own retaliatory tariffs on America, with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau telling his citizens in a speech on Saturday: “I’m sure many of you are anxious, but I want you to know we are all in this together. The Canadian government, Canadian businesses, Canadian organized labor, Canadian civil society, Canada’s premiers, and tens of millions of Canadians from coast to coast to coast are aligned and united.”

The Toronto Star’s editorial board repeated these sentiments in an op-ed published on Sunday, and it called on Canadians to “fight” Trump, who it tagged a “bully.”

Why It Matters

With the announcement of Canada’s tariffs and the ongoing rhetoric between both countries, the neighbors and allies look set to become embroiled in a trade war which could have long-lasting repercussions for both countries.

What To Know

The Toronto Star’s board wrote that Canada is already in a trade war. “A war we never wanted,” it said, but one that will be a “momentous test for our country.”

Addressing Trump’s tariffs, the editorial board said: “There’s been much speculation about Trump’s motives. Since the border excuse is obviously bogus, what’s he actually after? If this is, as he claims, also about saving American jobs, it’s a funny way of going about it.

“Surely part of the actual reason is simply revenue, particularly to offset the costs of the tax cuts he has promised to impose. But key, too, is what he might call the art of the deal. He appears to be after leverage, not just for renegotiating CUSMA, but also to pursue whatever his regime determines is in his country’s (or his regime’s) interests.

“In other words, he’s trying to bully us—and how we and other like-minded, similarly threatened countries respond will shape the direction of the world in the years to come.”

The op-ed praised Canadians, including politicians “from across the political spectrum,” for “an outpouring of something like patriotism, a decidedly un-Canadian sentiment.”

It ends with: “These Canadians understand what all of us must now grasp: No one has ever won by appeasing a bully. No one has ever won by negotiating with a knife to their throat. But again and again, battles have been won by those who were counted out, who had no right to survive, never mind thrive, but did because they found strength in each other and a shared commitment to ideals and together did the hard work necessary to overcome. It has never been harder to band together despite our differences, and never more important.”

What People Are Saying

Trump previously wrote on his Truth Social platform: “We need to protect Americans, and it is my duty as president to ensure the safety of all. I made a promise on my campaign to stop the flood of illegal aliens and drugs from pouring across our borders, and Americans overwhelmingly voted in favor of it.”

While talking to reporters at Joint Base Andrews on Sunday night, Trump defended his tariffs, saying: “Canada has been very abusive of the United States for many years. They don’t allow our banks. And you know that Canada does not allow banks to go in, if you think about it. That’s pretty amazing. If we have a U.S. bank, they don’t allow them to go in.

“Canada has been very tough for oil on energy. They don’t allow our farm products in, essentially. They don’t allow a lot of things in. And we allow everything to come in as being a one-way street.”

He said: “I love the people of Canada. I disagree with the leadership of Canada and something is going to happen there.”

What Happens Next

American tariffs begin on Tuesday, along with some Canadian ones, before the rest of Canada’s kick in 21 days later. The economic and sociopolitical consequences of these actions are yet to be seen.