Get Cozy

When shining a spotlight on the political spectrum of the United States and Canada, it’s surprising to see common themes emerging, with the roles reversed between Right and Left.

Love him or hate him, Donald Trump is a master marketer. His extreme views have been largely camouflaged over three consecutive campaigns, filtered through a populist lens, drenched in nationalism with a healthy dose of deceptive wordsmithing and imagery. Recall the speed in which the assassination attempt in Butler, PA turned into a rallying cry, a social media blitz, and merchandise. Disgusting for some, but incredibly successful. Truly a masterful strategy that swung the 2024 election with the mushy middle.

One might say the politically conservative wing in America certainly know how to win the hearts and minds of voters, even when it means voting against their own self-interests. The American Left is currently floundering, stumbling on messaging, choosing out-of-touch leaders, and fighting amongst themselves as to who they are, and what they need to do to manage a changing electorate.

Democrats seem lost since Barack Obama moved out of the White House. They were out-campaigned and out-messaged in the 2016 election. This, despite a huge initial advantage handed Hillary Clinton, which included a strong economy and great momentum from the previous eight years. It’s incredible that a former Senator, former Secretary of State, and former two-term Vice President, could be outmaneuvered by a reality show host with two failed marriages, five children from three different women, multiple bankruptcies, on-camera bragging of sexual assault, and a history of racist behavior that would make David Duke blush.

This is the greatest marketing failure in the history of American politics – it should never have happened. Even with the Biden presidency buffering two Trump terms, the Democrats continue to lose the messaging war to this day. What transpires in the next four years is anyone’s guess, but it would seem the Democrats are betting entirely on Trump doing enough to fail, rather than the Democrats winning back voters on merit. How many times must Democrats learn this lesson?

Cross the 49th Parallel northward and we see a very similar scenario being played out – but it’s the Left that pummels the Right on the defining what wins elections.

For twelve years, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau won elections almost entirely on image alone. Young, athletic, and attractive, Trudeau was an international counterpoint to the boorish Donald Trump on the world stage. However, the untold truth is Canadians grew tired of the window dressing. They demanded answers for the growing debt, and the increasingly destructive progressive policies on taxes, growth, and climate. The apple had lost its sheen.

And speaking of apples…

The Conservative Party of Canada (CPC) emerged from a long, protracted battle for leadership, electing Pierre Poilievre in 2022. On the surface, Poilievre seemed to be the perfect antidote to the Trudeau machine. Youthful and polished, Poilievre conveyed a message of change within the CPC, and a break from previous failed CPC leadership.

A groundswell of opposition to Trudeau’s policies was evident in polling throughout 2022-2024, with the CPC under Poilievre building what seemed to be an insurmountable advantage leading up to a new election – an election Trudeau was loathe to announce. The die was cast.

Then, the apple interview took place. In October of 2023, Poilievre conducted an interview with a journalist, while casually munching on a crisp apple. It was immediately picked up by far right media in the United States, vaulting Poilievre into the realm of “renegade conservative leader embarrasses biased journalist” territory. Donald Trump supporters loved him, and immediately got behind the campaign to replace Justin Trudeau.

Other conservative leaders in Canada took note, and also lobbied for the coverage an association with Trump would bring. Exhibit A would be Danielle Smith, the conservative Premier of Alberta, making a pilgrimage to Mar-A-Lago for a photo opportunity with the man who rose from the ashes to win a second term as President.

Be careful what you wish for. In the wake of Trump’s economic attack on Canada, and threats to its sovereignty, that “apple interview” by Poilievre now comes across as arrogant and patronizing. The pandering to Trump by Smith looks weak, and unpatriotic.

Donald Trump’s well documented assault on the economy and sovereignty of Canada has done something many Canadians thought impossible: He has thoroughly united Canada behind a common cause – to fight Donald Trump and his ilk, to defend the Maple Leaf against a common enemy.

Even in this climate of cross-border adversity, Smith couldn’t bring herself to denounce Trump with any degree of severity. When asked to respond to Trump’s declaring that Canada “isn’t a real country”, and his crippling tariff policy on Canadian goods, Smith opted to say that “it’s the politicians in Ottawa that are the greater threat to Alberta.” Even if that were true, not knowing the timing of that argument was grossly misjudged, and it has hurt her party’s image with many moderate voters.

Poilievre is desperately trying to distance himself from the MAGA movement down south, but his missteps as leader before this trade war will likely haunt him. Getting into bed with the infamous “Freedom Convoy” leaders in 2022 was also an odd choice. Those individuals were widely regarded as extremists during the protest’s early days, but it was never in doubt who they would vote for come election day. That kind of politicking, in retrospect, should now be viewed as an unforced error.

As this was all happening, The Liberal Party of Canada seemed resigned to their fate of losing power in Ottawa. A succession plan post-Trudeau did not exist – but his resignation was a certainty. Donald Trump’s re-election, however, changed the trajectory of Canadian politics as much as it did America’s. The Liberal Party’s marketing machine was rebooted, and it kicked off in an unusual way, after Trudeau issued a forceful and effective response to those threats.

Mark Carney, until 2024, was largely an unknown outside specific financial circles in Canada and Britain, having served as Governor of the Bank of Canada (2008-13) and Governor of the Bank of England (2013-20). But it was his appearance on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart in the United States in January of 2025 that launched Carney onto the international stage, and it was a homerun. Carney was affable, quick-witted, and entirely comfortable discussing several serious topics against the rapid-fire style of Stewart. At the end of the interview, Carney all about announced his outsider bid to become Leader of the Liberal Party of Canada. Two months later, Carney won the leadership in a landslide, and assumed the role of Prime Minister – a meteoric rise when taken in historical context.

Since that moment, Carney has seized on the threats from Trump as his own rallying cry. Television ads have been produced and are airing at a feverish pace. Comedic legend Mike Myers has jumped on board with an especially effective commercial, with a perfect combination of nationalism and humor. With Carney calling an election for April 28th, 2025, the conservatives are caught on their back foot, as the polling has been altered dramatically to an even race, and the CPC is finding it difficult to “elbow” their way back into relevancy.

Marketers point to Donald Trump as a case study in bringing consumers and voters into the fold, using fear and falsehoods to motivate action. Inasmuch as Poilievre strove to emulate similar tactics in Canada, it’s ironic that it is now Trump himself who prevents those strategies from being effective for the upcoming election.

So far, the Conservative Party of Canada doesn’t seem to have a backup plan.