Is Doug Ford's tough talk on Trump working? Experts say it might be gaining traction

Shawn Jeffords · CBC News

· Posted: Mar 09, 2025 4:00 AM EDT | Last Updated: March 9

Doug Ford struck his astir assertive code to day this week arsenic helium blamed Donald Trump for "causing chaos" with his tariff threats, and experts accidental the attacks from Ontario's Conservative premier and appeals to the president's Republican allies mightiness beryllium gaining traction.

Ford came retired swinging astatine a quality league Tuesday, the time Trump imposed 25 per cent tariffs connected astir Canadian goods. He levelled immoderate of his astir pointed disapproval yet of the antheral helium erstwhile praised and pledged his "unwavering" support.

Ford slammed Trump and called connected Republican politicians successful the U.S. Congress and Senate to propulsion backmost against the president, predicting helium would beryllium punished successful the 2026 mid-term elections if the interaction of tariffs were felt by Americans. 

"So the Congress radical successful the reddish states, you request to talk up for your people," Ford said. "Because your factories are going to beryllium empty, they're going to beryllium unopen down, there's going to beryllium unemployment, ostentation is going to deed and it's going to wounded the American people."

WATCH | Ford to enforce 25% energy surcharge connected U.S.:

Ford adjacent went truthful acold arsenic to muse astir campaigning against Trump himself.

"He needs to wage the terms successful the mid-terms," helium said. "If I've got to spell down determination and sound connected the doors myself, I will."

Trump state asks Ford to code down his rhetoric

According to a study from the Globe and Mail, confirmed by CBC Toronto, that code sparked a telephone from Trump's ain commerce caput Howard Lutnick. He asked Ford to easiness up with his rhetoric, a petition the premier refused.

Conservative strategist Shakir Chambers said Lutnick's telephone shows that Ford has managed to drawback the attraction of radical successful the White House and his appeals person them concerned. He's besides channeling the frustrations of galore Canadians who are angrily watching the tariff threats unfold.

"I person friends, and careless of their governmental stripe, they're applauding however assertive Ford is successful dealing with the White House," said Chambers, vice-president of consulting steadfast Oyster Group.

Ford has been making aggregate regular appearances connected U.S. cablegram quality shows since December, erstwhile the tariff threats archetypal emerged, which person accelerated successful caller days. In those, Ford has besides aggressively blamed Trump for contributing to rising retail prices for Americans, thing that flies successful the look of the president's promise to bring down the outgo of living.

Chambers said helium initially dismissed the Ford team's U.S. media strategy, reasoning it would beryllium ineffective successful the monolithic American media market. But aft this week, helium thinks the premier whitethorn person breached done with messages targeting American conservatives watching channels similar Fox News.

"When you person American conservatives and American commentators say, 'This is simply a dumb idea, possibly we should backmost down,' I deliberation those are the voices that Donald Trump listens to," helium said. "Ford is connecting with the close assemblage successful the US."

Ford learns hard acquisition astir Trump, adept says

McMaster University governmental subject prof Peter Graefe said it's hard to instrumentality Ford's newfound aggression towards Trump seriously. During the Ontario election, Ford admitted wrong ear-shot of a microphone that helium was blessed Trump won during the November US election. 

Graefe points retired that Trump's views connected tariffs person been wide for immoderate clip and Ford himself has learned a hard acquisition astir supporting the mercurial U.S. president.

"I deliberation Mr. Ford is possibly precocious successful discovering immoderate features of Mr. Trump's property oregon however helium engages situations," Graefe said. "But the precise worldly impacts of Mr. Trump's decisions mean that Mr. Ford has been shaken retired of reasoning similar a partisan and having to deliberation overmuch much similar an Ontarian."

Liberal strategist Charles Bird said Ford's pugnacious speech whitethorn beryllium an plus to the national ministers who are negotiating straight with the Trump administration. He tin spell further successful his rhetoric and play "bad cop" due to the fact that helium isn't sitting astatine the array with them, helium said.

"Premier Ford has not hesitated to spell astatine them with some barrels," said Bird, main astatine Earnscliffe Strategies. "That's thing that our national ministers, and the premier minister, person to beryllium a small much cautious about."

Graefe said helium is skeptical of the wide interaction of Ford's rhetoric and media strategy. But thinks helium is amended suited, arsenic a salient Canadian conservative, to present the connection of the detrimental impacts of tariffs to Americans than different Canadian politicians.

"He astir apt is much effectual than Mr. Trudeau successful reaching parts of the American electorate with the connection that this is not thing that Canada wants to beryllium doing, but has nary prime to do," helium said. "He's not truly moving the dial that much, but presumably that's amended than the alternate of not moving it astatine all."

But Bird disagrees, and points to the telephone from Lutnick arsenic grounds that Ford has gotten nether Trump's skin.

"I accidental this arsenic a lifelong Liberal, I would archer him to support doing what he's doing," helium said. "If this becomes uncomfortable politically for the Americans to beryllium doing, and arsenic we get person to the mid-terms astatine the extremity of adjacent twelvemonth … that is significant.

"We lone person truthful galore cards to play."