Doug Ford, Prime Minister of Ontario, sparked a political storm on Monday by unleashing an unprecedented barrage of insults at U.S. President Donald Trump, amid the escalating tariff dispute between Canada and the United States.
Everything started that same morning with an interview on a radio station in Toronto, where Ford launched the first salvo: “You can kiss my ass.”
Hours later, at a press conference held in Hamilton, the premier not only reaffirmed his words but elaborated with notable anatomical detail: “I have plenty of space in my rear, so there’s plenty of room for you to kiss my ass.”
Ford's statements were not limited to that phrase.
In front of the gathered journalists in Hamilton, the premier referred to Trump as "a dictator," "a bully," and "the king of bankruptcies."
He concluded with a personal comparison: “I have more courage and more brains in my little toe than he has in his entire body.”
When a journalist asked him if the federal Prime Minister Mark Carney had asked him to tone down his rhetoric, Ford was emphatic: "No, he did not."
And he added, with apparent calmness: "I can engage in a give-and-take with Trump, but I simply will not fall for the provocation."
About the American president, Ford stated bluntly: “This guy is a loser. He’s going to be a loser. Period.”
Trump responds: “Flunky Ford” and the ghost of Rob Ford
Trump quickly responded from his Truth Social platform.
He called Ford "Flunky Ford"—something like "the lackey Ford"—and described him as the "less charismatic, intelligent, and generally less impressive" brother of his late brother Rob Ford, former mayor of Toronto.
In the same message, Trump referred to Carney as "Governor Carney" and to Ford as his "lackey."
The background: An escalating trade war
The exchange of insults is not an isolated incident but rather a political reflection of a trade crisis that has been worsening for months.
Negotiations between Washington and Ottawa collapsed on Friday, August 22, without an agreement, and at midnight, 50% U.S. tariffs on Canadian imports valued at approximately 20 billion dollars went into effect.
On Monday, Trump announced a new twist: starting January 1, 2027, tariffs on Canadian vehicles, auto parts, and steel will increase to 50%, doubling the current rate of 25% that already affects some cars.
On Truth Social, the president accused Canada of "years of scamming the United States of America" and generating "a $60 billion deficit" in bilateral trade.
Ottawa responded the next day with retaliatory tariffs of up to 50% on U.S. products valued at 27.6 billion Canadian dollars —about 20 billion dollars—, set to take effect on September 8.
The affected sectors include steel, electronics, dairy, appliances, agricultural machinery, and pulp and paper.
The federal government also announced a aid package of 7.5 billion Canadian dollars for workers and businesses affected by the conflict.
Ford, the most combative premier against Washington
This is not the first time that Ford has taken a confrontational stance against Trump.
In earlier stages of the conflict, the premier threatened to cut electricity supply to states like New York, Michigan, and Minnesota, removed American alcoholic beverages from stores in Ontario, and canceled a contract with Starlink.
The trade war between the two countries officially began in February 2025, when the Trump administration imposed a 25% tariff on most Canadian imports.
Since then, the levies increased to 35% in August 2025 and 50% overall in July 2026, following Trump's refusal to renew the Treaty between Mexico, the United States, and Canada (USMCA) under the current terms.
Canadian retaliatory tariffs will come into effect on September 8, a date that will mark a new chapter in a trade dispute that, for now, is also being waged with very little diplomatic language.
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