Scathing Washington Post editorial blames Trump for hardship in swing state he won twice

For many years, U.S. presidents — from Republican Ronald Reagan to Democrat Barack Obama — viewed Canada as a valuable political and economic partner of the United States. But tensions between Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney and U.S. President Donald Trump were evident during the 2026 World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos, Switzerland in January when Carney, during a speech, lamented that the U.S. has become an unreliable partner for his country.

Trump's tariffs, Carney is warning, are terrible for border states in the U.S. And in a biting editorial published on February 4, the Washington Post's editorial board details the negative effects that tariffs are having in one of them: Michigan.

The board notes that Detroit, Michigan's largest city, is a short drive from the Canadian border.

"President Donald Trump's aggressive tariff policy collides smack into economic reality somewhere in the middle of the Ambassador Bridge connecting Detroit to Windsor, Canada's southernmost major city," the Post's editorial board argues. "That 1.4-mile suspension bridge handles more than a quarter of U.S.-Canada trade. An average of 6300 trucks ferry more than $300 million in goods — including about $50 million in auto parts — every single day."

The board continues, "Trump's tariffs are rupturing what has been one of the most efficient cross-border trade relationships in human history. He claims his tariffs have 'created an American economic miracle' with low inflation and high economic growth. But Michigan, which the president carried in 2016 and 2024, is experiencing high unemployment, layoffs, inflation and deepening anxiety."

The Ambassador Bridge, according to the Post, is "emblematic of the intertwined relationship between Michigan and Ontario."

"Car parts go back and forth as many as eight times before becoming a finished vehicle," the board notes. "A pause in production at a factory in Windsor means layoffs in Detroit's gritty suburbs."

Someone who lives roughly 90 miles from the Canadian border, Democratic two-term Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, is a vehement critic of Trump's tariffs. According to a report authorized by Whitmer in November 2025, food prices in Michigan have increased by an estimated 3.6 percent because of Trump's tariffs.

"Michigan has lost 6300 manufacturing jobs since Trump took office and has a 5 percent unemployment rate," according to the Post editorial. "Canada's retaliatory tariffs have badly damaged the farming sector, a key element of Trump's coalition. Canada was Michigan's primary export market. Now, its wheat exports are down 89 percent since 2024. Cherry exports are down 62 percent. Soybeans, mostly destined for China, are down 46 percent."

The board continues, "All this could hurt Republicans in November's midterms. Michigan has open races for governor and Senate…. Among Michigan voters surveyed, tariffs are about as popular as an Ohio State bumper sticker at an Ann Arbor tailgate. 'Made in America' increasingly feels like 'Taxed in Michigan.'"

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