The (somewhat) surprising victory of Donald Trump meant that the government here in Canada, and other world leaders, had to jump to action to offer obsequious, fulsome (in the proper meaning of the term) congratulations to Trump, while Cabinet ministers insisted that this wasn’t a complete disaster. None was more painful to watch than Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s, where he had to put on a show of making Trump feel like a tough guy in the hopes that Trump won’t immediately sell out Ukraine to Putin. We’re in for a rough few years of thuggery, kleptocracy, outright authoritarianism, and the possible breakup of NATO. It is also not lost on anyone the way in which Viktor Orbán offered his own congratulations to Trump, given that MAGA Republicans have been big fans of Orbán’s work, and hope to replicate it in America, much as Orbán is hoping Trump will help him damage Europe for Putin’s benefit.
Congratulations to Donald Trump on being elected President of the United States.
The friendship between Canada and the U.S. is the envy of the world. I know President Trump and I will work together to create more opportunity, prosperity, and security for both of our nations. pic.twitter.com/yEnL6gxyzO
— Justin Trudeau (@JustinTrudeau) November 6, 2024
Congratulations to @realDonaldTrump on his impressive election victory!
I recall our great meeting with President Trump back in September, when we discussed in detail the Ukraine-U.S. strategic partnership, the Victory Plan, and ways to put an end to Russian aggression against…
— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) November 6, 2024
I had an excellent call with President @realDonaldTrump and congratulated him on his historic landslide victory—his tremendous campaign made this result possible. I praised his family and team for their great work.
We agreed to maintain close dialogue and advance our…
— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) November 6, 2024
In case you were wondering whether Trump was going to borrow the Hungarian model. https://t.co/H2Gh86gCnO
— emptywheel (just plain blue) (@emptywheel) November 6, 2024
In terms of fallout, The Logic has a look at what the economic impacts for Canada are likely to be under the second Trump administration, as well as gets the government’s line about how ready they are for the return of Trump to power. The Star has its own grab-bag of reactions from industry, federal and provincial governments, as well as a look at how this win is likely going to impact plans to combat climate change. The CBC has a look at the various pressure points in the relationship that could be exacerbated.
Pretty much. https://t.co/TsE7yPOEpR
— Dale Smith (@journo_dale) November 6, 2024
In reaction, Emmett Macfarlane points out that while the Americans have been dismantling their guardrails, Canada’s are still robust, including our courts and vice-regal officers, in spite of creeping nastiness. The Line makes an interesting supposition about the “collapse of the moral authority of the institutional left,” and while I don’t agree with all of their thinking, there is a point to be made in it. Paul Wells gives his own bigger-picture take, which includes his thought that the Trump win is more of a rejection of governance that has been failing people than anything, while nobody seemed to notice or acknowledge that damage.
You think? https://t.co/14OcyZ3jpz
— Dale Smith (@journo_dale) November 7, 2024
I don’t know. If people choose a fascist autocrat, there’s a pretty good chance they might actually be wrong. https://t.co/kIzB6vcHzB
— Dale Smith (@journo_dale) November 6, 2024
Because it creates the permission structure for them to engage in the same.
— Dale Smith (@journo_dale) November 6, 2024
I will add that if someone is feeling vindicated today, it’s Justin Trudeau because all of those people who told him to step aside in the hopes that it would replicate the energy and excitement of the Harris campaign, only for Harris to lose. This will just convince him to stick around longer, particularly given his history with Trump, and it will further cement his saviour complex and to disregard the fact that most Canadians are tired of his face (and voice) and that he is becoming the biggest drag on his party.
And nobody will take any of the right lessons from it either. https://t.co/YrHvagUIuw
— Dale Smith (@journo_dale) November 6, 2024
Ukraine Dispatch
Ukraine says it downed 38 out of 63 drones overnight Tuesday, while a drone attack early morning Thursday damaged an apartment building in Kyiv. Russians claim to have captured two more settlements in Eastern Ukraine. US officials confirm that North Korean troops have engaged in combat in the Kursk region of Russia, which Ukraine occupies part of.
The full extent of the damage remains unclear, as a large fire has broken out at the auto repair shop.
— The Kyiv Independent (@KyivIndependent) November 7, 2024
Ukraine's Air Force warned immediately prior that a group of Russian attack drones were approaching the capital.
— The Kyiv Independent (@KyivIndependent) November 6, 2024
Good reads:
- Justin Trudeau had his first call with the re-elected Trump.
- Citing national security risks, the government is banning TikTok’s corporate presence in Canada, but not use of the app itself.
- As expected, François Legault is sounding the alarm about a possible influx of migrants thanks to Trump’s re-election.
- Alberta’s municipal affairs minister says municipalities owed property taxes from oil companies should name them; those mayors and reeves don’t believe him.
Odds and ends:
Ah, yes, the “War on Canadian energy.”
Source: https://t.co/g0rk8iBdRS https://t.co/aJEPKWRCQY pic.twitter.com/A64MO9i1po— Dale Smith (@journo_dale) November 6, 2024
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