Trump says Liberal government would be easier, says Poilievre is ‘no friend of mine’

OTTAWA — With polls suggesting U.S. President Donald Trump and his administration’s use of punishing tariffs are a top-of-mind issue for Canadians ahead of the upcoming federal election, Trump has now offered his thoughts on which political party he would rather work with.

“I’d rather deal with a Liberal than a Conservative,” Trump said in an interview with Fox News host Laura Ingraham Tuesday.

During the interview he reiterated his call for Canada to become a U.S. state and his false claim that the U.S. subsidizes Canada by $200 billion a year.

He also said Canada is “one of the nastiest countries to deal with,” citing his dealings with the government of former prime minister Justin Trudeau.

When Ingraham said the Liberal party appeared likely to win the next election, Trump responded, “I don’t care, I don’t care, I don’t care.”

“The Conservative that’s running is, stupidly, no friend of mine. I don’t know him but he’s said negative things. So when he says negative things, I couldn’t care less. I think it’s easier to deal, actually, with a Liberal. And maybe they’re going to win, but I don’t care.”

Poilievre’s social media team jumped on those comments, saying, “Trump endorsed Mark Carney.”

At a press conference in Sudbury, Ont., on Tuesday morning, Poilievre said Trump was right to suggest he’d be a difficult prime minister to deal with.

“It’s true,” he said. “I’m a strong leader, I’m a tough guy to deal with, I’m firm in my convictions and I’ll always put Canada first.”

He said the Liberals have “blocked resource projects, hiked taxes and driven a half-trillion dollars of investment to the U.S.”

“Mark Carney will back down and his Liberal policies will keep Canada weak,” Poilievre said.

The Prime Minister’s Office has not responded to questions about Trump’s comments on Wednesday.

When asked about Poilievre’s claim that he’s the best person to take on Trump, Finance Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne shot back: “I’ve seen him for 10 years, they don’t look very tough to me.”

“I would say what we need now is seasoned, serious people at the helm of this country, and I think that’s what Prime Minister Carney is bringing,” Champagne added on his way into a cabinet committee meeting on Parliament Hill.

A number of recent polls suggest Trump and his shifting tariff threats are a top-tier issue for Canadians heading into the federal election, with some polls citing the president as voters’ primary source of concern.

Pollsters also have been asking Canadians who they think is best suited to deal with the unpredictable U.S. president.

On Monday, Angus Reid released a survey that asked 4,009 people to name the candidate best able to handle a range of issues — including the trade war with the United States, the need to expand trade with other countries and Trump’s threats to make Canada the 51st state.

On all three questions, more than 53 per cent of respondents chose Carney, while between 28 and 31 per cent said they preferred Poilievre.

Carney also had a six-point edge over Poilievre when respondents were asked who would be the leader most likely to reduce the cost of living. That’s the issue that gave the Conservatives a 25-point lead over the Liberals in polls a year ago.

But since Trump was elected in November, the political picture in Canada has shifted dramatically.

Trudeau’s decision to resign in early January and the Liberal leadership race that followed have brought the Liberals’ numbers up.

Trump’s chaotic takeover of the White House, his on-again, off-again tariffs and his constant chatter about making Canada part of the U.S. have led to a massive wave of Canadian national pride and have caused many voters to reconsider their choices. Major pollsters, including Leger, now say the Liberals have a slight lead in popular support.

Carney has not spoken with Trump since he was sworn in as prime minister last Friday. He made his first international trip to Paris and London, and has said he will only sit down to do a deal with the U.S. president once he starts showing respect for Canadian sovereignty.

Polls suggest the vast majority of Canadians have a negative view of Trump.

In an Abacus Data poll released on Sunday, 65 per cent of survey respondents said they have a very negative view of Trump, and just 13 per cent said their view is positive.

While close to 90 per cent of Liberal voters dislike Trump, 23 per cent of Conservative voters said they have a positive view of Trump.

The Liberals have focused most of their attack ads in recent weeks on comparisons between Poilievre and Trump, with videos that splice together clips of both leaders using phrases like “common sense,” claiming that things are “broken” and railing against what they call radical “woke” ideology.

Trump has said he doesn’t like Poilievre because he’s “not a MAGA guy,” a reference to his “Make America Great Again” slogan.

The Conservative leader agreed with that, telling reporters last month he is “Canada first” and he doesn’t care if other world leaders don’t like that.

The polls cannot be assigned margins of error because online surveys are not considered truly random samples.

During her interview with Trump, Ingraham pressed him to explain his “endgame” on Canada and tariffs.

“My endgame is I don’t want to have a big deficit,” he said.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 19, 2025.

Sarah Ritchie, The Canadian Press