Obama cites Canada as 'evil empire' in Ohio tariff jab

Barack Obama attacked the Trump administration's trade policy on Saturday from a Cleveland stage.

The former president told a crowd supporting Democratic candidates in Ohio that the current trade conflict targets an unlikely foe. "The big trade war he's starting now is with that well-known evil empire: Canada," Obama said. He described Canadians as friendly neighbors and questioned why the current administration would pick a fight with them. Obama noted that the country gave the United States maple syrup and Martin Short, calling the people the nicest.

Obama argued that tariffs have produced the expected negative effects for American consumers. He stated that rising costs are weighing on Republican prospects for the midterms, especially in border states. The former president has been campaigning for Democrats ahead of the November election.

Donald Trump announced on Friday that he plans to lift tariffs on some Canadian products. Trade Minister Dominic LeBlanc told CBC's Power & Politics that Ottawa does not expect a final deal before the November 3 vote. The two nations have exchanged retaliatory tariffs since Trump launched his levy campaign last year. Those measures were ostensibly meant to combat alleged fentanyl trafficking and trade imbalances. Negotiations between the two sides broke down in August.

Trump has regularly used Canada as a target in his own campaign speeches. At a stop in Highland Heights, Kentucky, on October 17, he said, "At some point, we're making a deal that's gonna be amazing." He added that the United States has lost billions of dollars and that the other side felt emboldened. The crowd cheered when Trump called former prime minister Justin Trudeau a "loser."

Trump then turned to Trudeau's successor, Mark Carney. "Your current guy's good … he's a nice guy, but he's not nice when it comes to trade," Trump said. He concluded that the other side is learning and suffering.