Donald Trump’s second administration is filling up with his most loyal supporters, but many of those who have held top jobs have criticized Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Canada’s border security.
One expert says there aren’t many Canadian allies on the president-elect’s court so far.
“We don’t have many Canadian friends on the ground,” said Fenn Hampson, a professor of international affairs at Carleton University in Ottawa and co-chair of the Canada-U.S. Relations Expert Group.
As Republican leaders begin to make important decisions about their administration, foreign policy and border location designations are sending signals to Canada and the rest of the world about America’s path forward.
U.S. President-elect Donald Trump has endorsed Mike Walz, a Florida congressman and outspoken critic of Justin Trudeau, Fox News host Pete Hegseth, and entrepreneurs Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy. He continues to solidify his team with hard-line MAGA supporters, including: Former President Trump rival Marco Rubio is expected to become secretary of state.
President Trump has advocated imposing a uniform import tariff of at least 10%. According to a report by the Canadian Chamber of Commerce, this would shrink Canada’s economy and incur an annual economic cost of about $30 billion.
The president-elect has also been critical of giving aid to Ukraine in its war against Russian aggression and attacked the United Nations, both of which Canada’s Liberal government strongly supports.
Stephen Miller, who is set to join Trump’s White House as deputy chief of staff for policy, last year called Canada “increasingly authoritarian and tyrannical” and described the country’s leader as “the Trudeau of the far left.” I called.
Amid heightened geopolitical instability, President Trump has selected Mike Walz as national security adviser. He said in a statement Tuesday that Walz “will be a great champion in the pursuit of peace through force.”
Walz, a three-term congressman from Florida, has repeatedly criticized Trudeau on social media, particularly over his handling of China-related issues.
He also recently referenced Canada’s looming election, saying that Conservative leader Pierre Poièvre intends to “send Prime Minister Trudeau in 2025” and “start digging Canada out of the progressive mess it is in.” Posted on X.
Like Trump, Walz has criticized NATO countries for not meeting their defense spending targets, something Canada has not done and will not do for years.
Prime Minister Trudeau has pledged to reach a goal of spending 2% of gross domestic product (GDP) on defense by 2032.
President Trump made a number of announcements Tuesday night, and many of those in his inner circle have a history of slamming Trudeau.
Mike Huckabee, the incoming US ambassador to Israel, has repeatedly criticized Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in social media posts, criticizing him over the blackface scandal and calling him two-faced.
Elon Musk, who has become one of Trump’s closest allies, will co-head the new Department of Government Efficiency. He’s not going to be a federal employee because it’s not an actual government agency.
Musk used his platform X to address Canada’s online streaming laws and claim that Trudeau is trying to crush free speech. He also posted earlier this month that the prime minister “will disappear at the next election.”
Immigration and border security have been key focuses for Republicans during the election, with many key appointees looking north.
Trump administration border czar Tom Homan has referred to Canada’s border as a pole of vulnerability. He has repeatedly asserted in interviews that more people on terrorist watch lists are arrested trying to enter the United States from Canada than from Mexico. on the radio interview He said last year that the northern border was in “the worst, worst place.”
He’s also not a fan of Trudeau. “We need to find a better guy. He’s terrible,” Homan told Truth North at a conservative conference earlier this year.
Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, a vocal critic of China, has been nominated as President Trump’s nominee for secretary of state.
Rubio cited concerns about the Canada-U.S. border. He recently slammed Canada’s move to take in Palestinian refugees, claiming that “terrorists and known criminals continue to flow across our borders, including into Canada.”
Elise Stefanik, the New York congresswoman chosen by President Trump to be ambassador to the United Nations, is also focused on the Canadian border.
As a member of the Northern Border Patrol Congressional Caucus, Stefanik called on the Department of Homeland Security to increase border security, arguing that human and drug trafficking is on the rise.
“We must protect our children from dangerous illegal immigrants flooding across our northern border in record numbers,” she wrote on X last month.
Stefanik has little foreign policy experience, but Trump described her as a “smart America First fighter.” She repeatedly criticized the United Nations, saying the international body’s criticism of Israel’s air strikes on Gaza was anti-Semitic.
South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem, a longtime supporter of President Trump, has been chosen as Secretary of Homeland Security. She was considered as a vice presidential candidate until controversy erupted over an anecdote in her book about shooting a dog.
“She doesn’t seem to have very warm feelings toward (Canada),” Hampson said.
Last year, she claimed she was in talks with Canadian family-owned businesses considering moving to the province due to restrictions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
But Noem also said the Canada-U.S.-Mexico deal negotiated under the first Trump administration was a “huge victory.”
The trilateral agreement is scheduled to be reviewed in 2026.
Trump’s former trade representative, Robert Lighthizer, is an informal advisor to the president-elect on the transition, and Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland said he remains in contact.
Hampson has been noted by analysts as an option for multiple jobs in the second Trump administration, including returning to the role as trade representative, but Hampson said he is unlikely to return to the role.
Hampson said there are still big questions about how broad the tariffs could be and whether there will be carve-outs for industries such as energy. President Trump and his team may also threaten tariffs over future trade negotiations.
“Is he going to impose tariffs on us on day one or right after that?” Hampson asked.
Some experts are urging Canada to remain calm and focus on opportunity, not fear. Others seek bold action and creative thinking.
Canada reinstated the Cabinet Committee on Canada-U.S. Relations just over 24 hours after Trump’s victory was confirmed.
Trudeau said Tuesday in Fredericton that Canada was successful in negotiating trilateral trade agreements under the first president, Trump, by demonstrating alignment between the country’s interests and the economy.
“That’s going to continue,” he said.
