By Ben Meiselas
Donald Trump has never been known for diplomacy, but his latest outburst targeting Canada crossed a line that even many of his own military audience seemed uncomfortable with. Speaking at Quantico, Virginia, in front of hundreds of U.S. generals and admirals, Trump again mocked our closest ally, referring to Canada as the “51st state” and suggesting they “just join our country.” The remark, met with stunned silence by top U.S. military brass rather than applause, laid bare the former president’s ignorance, arrogance, and desperation.
Earlier this week, I caught up with Charlie Angus, former Canadian Member of Parliament and current leader of Meidas Canada, a new movement under the MeidasTouch banner that’s quickly becoming the voice of democratic resistance north of the border. To those who have been asking where you can go to subscribe to Meidas Canada, simply click here! It has been such a joy to watch Charlie bring the Meidas ethos to his country, and I hope you have a moment to watch some of his latest reports.
When Charlie and I spoke, as always, he didn’t mince words.
“This is the absolute freaking collapse of the American century,” Angus told me, reacting to Trump’s remarks. “You’ve got jets being scrambled in Alaska, threats in Europe, and Trump’s talking to his generals about being fat and going after ‘woke.’”
Charlie’s frustration was palpable, and, well, justified. For decades, the American and Canadian militaries have operated side-by-side through NORAD, NATO, and global peacekeeping missions. They know each other, trust each other, and share intelligence seamlessly. Yet Trump, in front of that same network of senior military officers, chose to insult one of America’s closest allies for cheap applause that never came. “You could see the looks on the generals’ faces,” Angus said. “They weren’t buying it.”
Trump’s ignorance extended beyond diplomacy into economics. He bragged that the U.S. had attracted “$17 trillion” in investments from Canada and other countries, a figure so absurd it collapses under its own weight. As I noted on-air, if that were true, America wouldn’t be in a government shutdown with a $2 trillion deficit.
Angus painted a broader picture of how Trump’s chaotic economic nationalism is actually hurting Americans while strengthening Canada. “Canadian farmers are having a record year,” he said. “Trump chased migrant workers out of American fields, started trade wars that tanked export markets, and alienated global buyers. Meanwhile, Canada’s quietly stepped in. We’re now selling corn to Ireland and the UK—markets that used to belong to the U.S.”
It’s not just Trump’s words that are fueling this rift. It’s his appointments, too. Angus singled out Pete Hoekstra, Trump’s handpicked U.S. ambassador to Canada, who has spent months antagonizing his host country instead of strengthening ties. “People are asking, was he sent to Canada to build relationships or to pick fights?” Angus said. “Because if it’s the latter, we’re ready to fight back.”
Hoekstra, a far-right propagandist with a history of spreading lies about Muslims while serving as ambassador to the Netherlands, has continued that pattern in Canada. When he sent a condescending letter to Angus recently attempting to paper over the growing backlash, Angus made it public. And the response was explosive. Millions of Canadians viewed Meidas Canada’s video calling out Hoekstra’s gaslighting, with countless citizens demanding he be removed from his post.
In his closing message to Trump, Angus didn’t mince words: “You sound desperate. You sound like the grift is running out. We’re not begging to join you, Donald—we’re watching the collapse of the American century that you brought on.”
He ended on a note that resonated deeply with our entire team: “We’re going to get through this by doing things the right way. You can do your worst, but we will do our best.”
That’s the spirit that defines Meidas Canada and it’s why our partnership has taken off with millions of views and over 172,000 new subscribers. Canadians, like so many around the world, are watching Trump’s unraveling with alarm but also with determination. And they understand that the fight to preserve and protect democracy is global.
If the Trump regime thought it could bully Canada into submission, it just learned a hard lesson that democracy doesn’t stop at the border.
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