Trump's America: A New Era of Economic Warfare with Canada

Canada is facing unprecedented challenges in its relationship with the United States under the Trump administration's new National Security Strategy (NSS) unveiled in 2025. The strategy marks a sharp break from the U.S.-enforced, rules-based international order and liberalized trade regime that guided American foreign policy since 1945.

The NSS resurrects longstanding isolationist and protectionist ideologies that have shaped much of American history, including the Monroe Doctrine, which asserts the exclusive right of the U.S. to expel any perceived foreign threats from the Western Hemisphere.

The Trump administration is now looking north, as evident in its references to Canada as the 51st state and the Canada-U.S. border as 'artificial'. The goal is to assert American dominance over Canada's energy and mineral resources, a move that has significant implications for Canada's economy and security.

Canada must prepare itself for an economic war with the U.S., which will involve tariffs, supply chain disruptions, and potential military action. This means buttressing its economy against a potentially long economic war, including producing defense equipment domestically or purchasing it from reliable partners like Nordic countries.