CBC Lite
   Sections

News • World

'They’re the nicest people': Obama mocks Trump for hitting Canada
with tariffs

   CBC News | Posted: October 24, 2026 10:18 PM | Last Updated: 2
   hours ago

   'These are the people who gave us maple syrup and Martin
   Short': ex-president

   Media | Obama mocks Trump over trade war with 'the people who
   gave us maple syrup'

   Caption: Former U.S. president Barack Obama, who delivered a
   lengthy speech Saturday at a campaign event for Democratic
   candidates in Ohio, took a moment to call out President Donald
   Trump's tariffs on Canada. 'They're like our ... friendly
   neighbours to the north and he's ... picking a fight with them?
   Open full embed in new tab Loading external pages may require
   significantly more data usage than loading CBC Lite story
   pages.
   Former U.S. president Barack Obama slammed the Trump
   administration's tariff regime on Saturday, and mocked the
   absurdity of engaging in a trade war with longtime ally Canada.
   "The big trade war he's starting now is with that well-known
   evil empire: Canada," Obama said at a Cleveland rally for
   Democratic candidates in Ohio.
   "These are the people who gave us maple syrup and Martin
   Short.… They're the nicest people," he joked. "They're our
   friendly neighbours to the north, and he's picking a fight with
   them?"
   Obama, who has been stumping for Democrats ahead of the U.S.
   midterm elections, also criticized Donald Trump's tariffs
   policy more generally, saying they have had the expected
   negative effect on U.S. consumers who bear the brunt of the
   rising costs.
   Those rising costs have hampered Republican chances in the
   midterms, especially in border states, leading Trump to
   announce on Friday that he plans to lift tariffs on some
   Canadian products.
   WATCH | Trump to lift some tariffs on Canada before U.S.
   midterms:

   Media Video | The National :

   Caption: Ahead of the U.S. midterms, the Trump Administration
   is lifting 50 per cent tariffs on some Canadian products but
   adding them to others. The President also suggested a trade
   deal may be close, but Prime Minister Mark Carney was more
   cautious.
   Open full embed in new tab Loading external pages may require
   significantly more data usage than loading CBC Lite story
   pages.
   Canada-U.S. Trade Minister Dominic LeBlanc said on CBC's Power
   & Politics that Ottawa isn't expecting a deal before the Nov. 3
   vote.
   The U.S. and Canada have been engaging in retaliatory tariffs
   since Trump first launched his levy campaign last year —
   ostensibly to combat alleged fentanyl trafficking and trade
   imbalances — and trade talks broke down in August.

Trump repeated lashes at Canada

   Trump has routinely used Canada as a punching bag in his
   campaign rally speeches.
   "At some point, we're making a deal that's gonna be amazing,"
   Trump said during a stop in Highland Heights, Ky., on Oct. 17.
   "But for years we've lost billions and billions of dollars, and
   they just felt so emboldened."
   He was cheered when he called former prime minister Justin
   Trudeau a "loser" before taking aim at his successor, Mark
   Carney.
   "Your current guy's good … he's a nice guy, but he's not nice
   when it comes to trade," he said.
   "They're learning and they're suffering."

More Stories Like This

   The related links below are generated automatically based on
   the story you’ve just read.

   Loading...
   CBC Lite is a low-bandwidth website. To see what's new, check
   out our release notes. For high quality images, media,
   comments, and other additional features visit the full version
   of this story.
   Theme preference[Auto_]
   Contrast preference[Auto___]
   We and select advertising partners use trackers to collect some
   of your data in order to enhance your experience and to deliver
   personalized content and advertising. If you are not
   comfortable with the use of this information, please review
   your device and browser privacy settings before continuing your
   visit. Learn more about Online Tracking and Privacy Choices.
     * Corrections and Clarifications
     * Terms of Use
     * Reuse & Permission
     * Privacy Notice
     * Accessibility
     * Contact a Newsroom
     * Submit Feedback
     * Lite Help Centre
     * Jobs
     * RSS

   CBC Lite version: 1.9.1. ©2026 CBC/Radio-Canada. All rights
   reserved.