"Why Hit Allies Instead of Adversaries?" "Does It Even Make Sense?" A Barrage of Questions Amid Canada's Counteroffensive... Why Things Went Sour (Trump NOW)

As U.S. President Donald Trump continues to rattle off hardline remarks against Canada, the trade conflict between the two nations is spilling over into diplomatic and security issues.

Speaking at the White House on the 27th local time, President Trump claimed, "A multitude of factories are moving from Canada into the United States," adding, "The same goes for Japan, South Korea, and Germany."

During a press conference held in the Oval Office, reporters asked, "Why are you focusing these measures on allies rather than adversaries of the United States?" President Trump responded, "Because they haven't treated us right," and added, "Canadian officials have treated us very poorly. They are really nasty people."

He went on to claim that Canada imposes tariffs of up to 400 percent on U.S. farmers, stating, "People ask me, 'Who is the worst country to deal with in trade?' The answer is very easy: Canada." He also said, "Canada thinks they naturally deserve special treatment, but we cannot accept that."

Politicians across Canada's political spectrum are reacting with strong backlash.

Ontario Premier Doug Ford called President Trump a "dictator" and a "bully," while Finance Minister François-Philippe Champagne emphasized, "My job is to fight for Canada, Canadian citizens, businesses, and industries."

Brampton Mayor Patrick Brown also stated, "This is not a trade war that Canada wanted to start," adding, "I am baffled as to why the U.S. President is launching such an economic attack against Canada." He warned that "the only ones popping champagne and celebrating right now are competitors in Asia and the European Union," which could weaken the competitiveness of the entire North American economy.

Amid this friction, President Trump signed an executive order changing the official U.S. name of Lake Ontario to "Lake America" on the same day.

President Trump declared, "We are changing the name of Lake Ontario to 'Lake America' right now, immediately," while the White House cited the fact that the vast majority of the lake's volume and its deepest parts lie on the U.S. side as the reason for the renaming.

In Canada, a wave of mocking reactions followed immediately.

Hamilton Mayor Andrea Horwath poked fun at the move, asking, "If Hamilton is the 'Head of the Lake,' does that make me the 'Head of America' now?" and noting, "If I were the mayor of the U.S., I'd drop the tariffs right now and put people back to work." Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew compared President Trump's renaming attempt to "a rock band well past its prime playing its hits from 50 years ago at a Big Bet," while Mayor Patrick Brown pointed out, "If our premier announced they were going to rename the Mississippi River, there would be a massive uproar in the United States as well."

At the backdrop of the bilateral conflict is a trade negotiation that collapsed at the last minute last week. The Canadian side views it essentially as an infringement on sovereignty, arguing that the U.S. tried to place restrictions on Canada's third-party trade agreements and commercial policies.

The U.S. side tells a different story, however. U.S. Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick claimed, "We had a deal, we shook hands, the president announced it," adding, "Canada backed away from the deal for political reasons." Secretary Lutnick specifically stated that Canada demanded tariff reductions for medium and heavy trucks on par with passenger cars at the very last minute, noting, "It was a condition that had never been raised once before Friday at 4 PM." He argued that it was "like someone suddenly saying, 'We'll only make a deal if you wear a green suit' when they don't want a deal," claiming Canada belatedly added unacceptable conditions to break off the talks.

President Trump warned that he "can no longer tolerate the decades-long Canada problem" and signaled that he would impose substantial tariffs on Canadian automobiles.

At the same time, criticisms have been raised that while the U.S. demands greater concessions and burdens from allies like Canada, it adopts a relatively cautious stance toward countries like Russia and China.

When asked whether the U.S. would sanction Russia if it continues to trade with Iran, President Trump replied, "It depends on the circumstances," and added, "So far, Russia has behaved quite well regarding the Strait of Hormuz." Regarding Chinese espionage, he remarked, "We spy on China too. That's just how it goes."

The United States is also pressing Europe and Canada to expand their defense cost-sharing. Elbridge Colby, U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Policy, stated, "There is tremendous momentum on the European continent, and defense spending is increasing significantly," praising the defense budget hikes in countries like Germany and Poland. He added, "This is exactly what we want to see from our allies," and noted, "We expect the same from Japan and Canada."

(Reported by JIN Sang-myeong | Video by Ryu Ji-su | Produced by SBS Digital News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.