Former Congressman Ken Buck (R-Colo.) says he doesn't understand President Trump's apparently hostile attitude towards Canada. This includes launching a tariff fight and provoking US allies to the north about becoming the “51st state.”
“I think the unintended consequences of what he's doing now will hurt his overall agenda,” said Buck, who was known to infiltrate his party on various issues before resigning from Congress last year. Wednesday night About CNN's “Erin Burnett Outfront.”
“Elections are taking place in Canada in the near future, and these elections will be directly affected by his tariffs and his surge in Canadian populism and patriotism,” Buck added.
Still, the former GOP lawmaker said he appreciates the president's harsh stance on China, which is also on the receiving end of Trump's tariff tears.
“I get what he's trying to do in China… China is the enemy of the Pacific rim,” Buck said. “But you get there by making sure your allies are on board with you.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau pushed the US back with retaliatory tariffs and additional restrictions on Canadian American products.
“We should work together to ensure even greater prosperity for North Americans in a very uncertain and challenging world,” Trudeau said Tuesday.
Trump's tariff plans were a roller coaster with ongoing negotiations, delays and sculptures.
Buck told CNN he was not surprised by Trump's rapid policy change. The Colorado Republican, who was publicly competing for the GOP during his tenure, previously cited Congressional dysfunction in his reasons for taking office in the House nine years later at the beginning of last year.
“I think it's part of President Trump's theatre or certainly part of his style. It's about making a lot of bold claims, and some of them will be he will act, some of which will be he will step back,” Buck said Wednesday.
He pointed to the ongoing war in Ukraine and the threat of Trump to stop the country's need to dodge attacks from Russia.
“We can't do this on its own,” Buck said of Trump's treatment of allies. We need to make sure that the country must be connected in the war situation in Ukraine, in the customs situation with our neighbors.
