Canadians are feeling a renewed sense of patriotism after President Donald Trump threatened to make their country the 51st state and slapped tariffs on their exports.
Those in Canada reported significantly higher levels of national pride than those in several European countries, including the UK and France, in a new Politico poll.
The poll, conducted by Public First, found that 52 percent of Canadians are very proud of their nationality — a stark contrast to public sentiment less than two years ago.
Canada’s Angus Reid Institute reported in December 2024 that the percentage of Canadians who say they are “very proud” of their nationality dropped from 78 percent to 34 percent since 1985.
“For progressive leaders around the world, Canada may show that there is a way to capture a message of national pride that does not alienate key voters,” Seb Wride, principal at Public First, told Politico.
“But it also shows the challenge in doing so, if what it takes is a geographical neighbor dramatically turning up the temperature as much as Canadians feel Trump has.”
Trump had been floating the idea of acquiring Canada — and other sovereign territories — since before returning to office.
“Many Canadians want Canada to become the 51st State. They would save massively on taxes and military protection. I think it is a great idea. 51st State!!!” Trump wrote on Truth Social in December 2024.
When he began his second term a month later, a more imminent threat loomed — a trade war.
In February 2025, Trump signed an executive order imposing 25 percent tariffs on imports from Canada. Then-Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced tariffs on more than $100 billion of US goods in response.
Trump imposed the 25 percent tariffs against Canada under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act. A year later, the Supreme Court struck down tariffs imposed under this 1977 law, ruling that they were unconstitutional.
The U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement, a trade pact that Trump negotiated during his first term, went up for renewal Wednesday.
Months-long negotiations between the three countries are likely to ensue as the US pushes for changes to reduce its trade deficits with Canada and Mexico, the Associated Press reported.
While Canada seems to feel a collective sense of pride amid Trump’s aggressive tactics, a majority of Canadians in Politico’s poll note that the country is still divided.
Thirty-nine percent viewed the friction as worse than they can remember, while 27 percent believed the country experienced deeper rifts in the past.
