Daniel Wolfram
Trump keeps antagonizing America’s neighbor and storied ally while trying to blame them for high prices.
President Donald Trump has not had any real answers for how he intends to drive down inflation and make everyday Americans’ lives more affordable over the last two years of his presidency.
Rather, he assures his supporters during his speeches that everything is going great and that the country will see even more prosperity after the wars in Iran and Ukraine are done.
However, this past weekend in Kentucky, Trump found a new scapegoat for the high prices in the US.
It was the neighbor up north’s turn to take the blame and to be told by the American president that Trump is responsible for the free healthcare — and that they do not deserve it.
Will not allow Canada to have a healthcare system
Trump is convinced that the US subsidizes all of Canada’s debt and trade deficit so they can have universal healthcare.
“I do not want to lose as your representative $90 billion for the privilege of allowing Canada to have a healthcare system and other things that they shouldn’t be having. They spend our money,” Trump proclaimed to an uninterested crowd while a few people in the clip can be seen hoisting an American flag.
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The problem is that the number Trump mentions in the clip is completely false. According to the United States’ own Census Bureau, the trade deficit was $33.7 billion from January to August 2026 and $48.3 billion in 2025.
That is not only a 60-billion-dollar lie, but Trump forgot to mention that the US imports nearly $400 billion worth of goods from Canada each year.
Then there is also the problem of Trump insinuating that the US pays so that Canada can get free healthcare. That is untrue; the US government does not pay for Canada’s healthcare. Instead, it is 75% funded through tax revenues.
An ongoing trade war
This quip from the president is part of a much larger trade and tariff conflict that has seen the relationship between the US and Canada completely sour.
It all started on February 1 of last year when Trump put a 25% tariff on all goods from Canada. It then escalated in July when Trump announced that he would raise the tariffs to 50%.
“The Canadian officials have treated us very badly. They’re nasty people,” Trump told reporters this summer while adding that Canada was even more difficult to trade with than countries with dictatorships — they feel “entitled.”
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney has since promised to match the US tariffs “dollar for dollar.”
