WASHINGTON—Doug Ford returns to the U.S. capital Friday in the final week of his re-election bid scrambling for an underdog win in his battle against President Donald Trump’s threatened tariffs.
Buoyed by Canada’s nail-biting overtime victory over Team U.S.A. in the 4 Nations hockey tournament, the Progressive Conservative leader and Nova Scotia Premier Tim Houston headed to the winter meeting of the National Governors Association with bragging rights and a daunting assignment.
Trump, who cheered on Team U.S.A. in phone call before Thursday night’s pivotal game ripe with political overtones, stood firm on his plan for tariffs and making Canada the 51st state in a dinner speech to Republican governors ahead of the opening face-off.
“You heard the people booing the (American) national anthem, but I think ultimately they’ll be praising the national anthem,” Trump said, adding the four most important things in his world are “God, religion, love and tariffs.”
With Ford’s lead in public opinion polls narrowing, he is eager to back up his campaign premise that he would be better than Liberal Leader Bonnie Crombie and NDP Leader Marit Stiles to handle the tariff threat that could devastate Ontario’s and Canada’s economies, hurting millions of American workers as well.
“We’re going to meet the governors, we’re going to meet the senators, we’re going to communicate,” he told reporters Thursday in advance of his second Washington lobbying trip in just over a week.
“It’s so important to have the presence of two Canadian premiers there. The worst thing we could sit back and say, ‘Let’s not bother going down there, let’s not communicate with our largest trading partner.’ It is critical.”
Houston, a Progressive Conservative, was on social media Thursday in a post wearing a bright red Team Canada jersey at the Republican governor’s meeting.
Before boarding his flight Friday, Ford said on social media that measures Trump demanded to tighten border security are working, including seizures of fentanyl, cocaine, firearms, stolen vehicles and interceptions of illegal border crossers.
“Operation Deterrence continues to deliver results.”
Opposition leaders have mocked Ford’s claims he is best to fight Trump tariffs after a hot mic gaffe early in the campaign where he told supporter he “100 per cent” supported Trump to win a second term as president despite his campaign promises of tariffs.
Crombie is campaigning in Toronto on Friday with a morning announcement and a meeting with the Star’s editorial board in the afternoon.
For the New Democrats, Stiles is releasing full costs for her platform of campaign promises.
This is a developing story.
