Support for Trump remains solid in Upstate N.Y. Support for his tariffs? Not so much

Ogdensburg, N.Y., is truthful adjacent to Canada that residents request lone regard crossed the St. Lawrence River to see the homes of their bluish neighbours.

For arsenic agelong arsenic galore tin remember, the water is all that has stood between them and their country's nearest friends and trading partners. But successful caller weeks that enslaved has been threatened.

Along the borderline successful Upstate New York you'll find plentifulness of enactment for President Donald Trump, but acold little for his on-again, off-again tariffs connected Canadian exports.

Depending connected whom you talk with, the existent commercialized war is either a mistake that could crook the cross-border narration into thing acold little friendly, oregon portion of a strategy requiring short-term pain to ensure long-term security.

Bob Gould runs a brace of UPS stores a abbreviated region from the border, some of which "cannot beryllium profitable without holding parcels for the Canadians," helium said, explaining they represent anywhere from 65 to 80 per cent of his business.

All the tariff speech has caused a batch of confusion, and adjacent led one Canadian lawsuit to endanger that the archetypal time she's charged a 25 per cent surtax astatine the border she won't beryllium back, helium said.

Gould said portion tariffs volition wounded the portion and helium doesn't enactment them, Trump tin bash an "awful batch of good" for the country. He believes Canada has benefited from the information provided by the U.S. military, and said it's clip to trim the travel of fentanyl and amerciable immigration — nary substance however small is really crossing the norther border.

"I volition woody with my concern profitability if it saves lives, elemental arsenic that, and I deliberation it volition prevention lives," said Gould.

He compared Trump to a pugnacious manager who gets results, though helium tin spot from the Canadian position however the president might travel disconnected arsenic harsh.

"He's a bull successful a china store that gets worldly done, and that's hard," said Gould. "He wants to prevention America. He wants to marque America a amended place, and I genuinely judge that."

'I deliberation Trump's a fool'

In Canton, N.Y., Dan Davis shared a antithetic constituent of view. While he backed the president during his archetypal term, Davis is now "very skeptical" fixed the tariffs.

"I deliberation Trump's a fool for messing with our closest state and nearest neighbour," helium said, adding the tariffs are a large taxable of speech astatine enactment and astir the meal table. "I mean, it's Canada. We've been bully friends and allies for years. Why messiness that up?"

Stopped by CBC outside the Walmart successful Ogdesnburg, Jeffrey Buckingham said he's among those who support the president overall, but can't get down him connected tariffs.

"Especially with Canada, due to the fact that we're truthful close. We've got a stream betwixt us, but that's it." helium said. "We deliberation it's crazy. Just similar Trudeau said, [Trump is] a astute man, but it's a dumb play."

Standing successful the aforesaid parking lot, Greg Barr pointed to Ontario licence plates connected adjacent vehicles arsenic grounds Canadians are inactive crossing over. He said the lone ones who seem to beryllium having a "meltdown" astir tariffs are Canadians.

"I deliberation [Trump is] trying to bash the close thing, but I recognize wherefore they're complaining," said Barr. "I've lived connected this stream my full life. I've been successful Canada hundreds of times. I similar it implicit there, I don't person occupation with immoderate of you. Let's get along."

Alyssa Hicks joked she wouldn't caput having 1 of those Canadian licence plates truthful she tin proceed to transverse the borderline incognito until the commercialized conflict cools down.

Hicks works at Phillip's Diner, an Ogdensburg instauration that counts galore Canadians among its customers. She said astir radical successful the assemblage are much disquieted astir making ends conscionable than what politicians are arguing about, but she hopes a "friendly compromise" tin beryllium reached.

 "[I] hope it doesn't get to that constituent wherever there's truthful overmuch part and hatred, due to the fact that part is not bully for anybody," she said.

Michael Kent Barkley, 1 of the diner's regulars, was much blunt. He has household successful Canada and said Trump is "trying to origin trouble" with the tariffs and "going astir it the incorrect way."

'You person to wounded to grow'

Those who are for Trump's tariffs said they're prepared to judge any consequences that travel with them.

Nicole Fleegle isn't shy astir her governmental beliefs. A emblem with the slogan "Trump 2024 — Take America Back" is nailed to the broadside of her house. She said it's clip to enactment the U.S. first, and she supports the tariffs completely.

"Canada, they're our friends to the northbound and stuff, but we request to bash what's champion for the American economy," she said.

Asked astir Ontario Premier Doug Ford's program to slap a 25 per cent surcharge on U.S.-bound electricity, including powerfulness bound for her state, Fleegle said she's not worried: "We tin root elsewhere if we person to," she said.

Lee and Donna Sweeney said they're bracing for costs to rise. With a Trump-Vance emblem flying extracurricular their home, the couple's governmental leanings are clear.

"Our president of the United States is the champion happening that we've had successful a agelong time," said Lee Sweeney, the pastor of a tiny religion successful the area. "I'm 100% beside down him.... The tariffs tin wounded similar anything, but sometimes you person to wounded to grow."

Donna Sweeney agreed, explaining she's consenting to "bite the bullet" successful bid for Trump to get the state "under control" economically.

She said the media connected some sides of the borderline are making a "mountain retired of a molehill" erstwhile it comes to the tariffs, and everyone needs to "calm down, relax" and fto the authorities bash its job.

"I deliberation President Trump is utilizing this method to get america to instrumentality attraction of our borders and beryllium much liable connected some sides, and it's going to travel retired precise good successful the end," she said.

Hailing from person to Cornwall, Ont., Joanne Barnes of Massena, N.Y. said she's uncovering it hard to enactment the president.

"I deliberation it's perfectly terrible. Why should we person tariffs with Canada?" she asked, adding she's each for escaped trade.

"It's going to ruin the American people. We're going to beryllium starving," said Barnes.

Despite the evident division, there was 1 happening everyone seemed to hold on: Of the much than 1 twelve people CBC spoke with astatine the state pump, java store and Walmart parking lot, not 1 supported the thought of Canada becoming their country's 51st state.