Americans are less likely to see Canada as a close U.S. ally than two years ago, as President Trump has escalated the trade war with the country’s northern neighbor and expressed interest in Canada becoming the 51st state, according to a survey released Friday.
The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research poll found that 45 percent of respondents think of Canada as a close ally, a figure that has dropped 17 points since September 2023.
Thirty percent of respondents think of Canada as being “friendly” but not a close U.S. ally, a 5-point increase since September 2023.
The change of perception about Canada is mostly seen among Democratic Party voters. Among Democratic respondents, 51 percent view Canada as an ally, down from 73 percent in 2023. On the GOP end, 44 percent think of Canada as an ally, which is 11 points lower than 2023.
The shifting public opinion of Canada comes as the current administration has imposed tariffs on loads of Canadian goods, along with announcing this week that on April 2, a 25 percent tariff will be placed on all car imports. Trump has also stated that reciprocal tariffs will come into play next week.
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said Thursday that the country’s longstanding economic relationship is “over” and added the country will push back “forcefully.”
Trump and Carney spoke over the phone Friday, with Trump describing it as a “productive” talk and saying the two will meet after Canada’s upcoming election to “work on elements of Politics, Business, and all other factors, that will end up being great for both the United States of America and Canada.”
A Yahoo News/YouGov poll released this week found that fewer than 1 in 5 Americans are in favor of the U.S. annexing Canada.
The AP-NORC survey was conducted March 20-24 among 1,229 Americans. It had a margin of error of plus or minus 3.9 percentage points.
