What do Canadians think of the US under Trump? Poll shows many view it as ‘an enemy’
A sizable minority of Canadians view the U.S. as an enemy, according to a new poll, which comes after President Donald Trump’s repeated remarks about making America’s northern neighbor the “51st state.”
In a Leger poll of Canadians, 27% of respondents said the U.S. is “an enemy country.” A slim plurality, 30%, said it is “an ally,” while 27% said it is “a neutral country” and 16% weren’t sure or refused to answer.
The poll — which sampled 1,550 Canadian adults between Feb. 14 and 17 — found views toward the U.S. varied significantly based on partisan affiliation.
Nearly half of Conservative Party of Canada (CPC) voters, 48%, said America is an ally, while just 20% of Liberal Party of Canada (LPC) voters said the same. Similarly, 21% of New Democratic Party (NDP) voters and 23% of Bloc Québécois (BQ) described the U.S. as an ally.
On the flip side, 18% of CPC voters said the U.S. is an enemy. Meanwhile, much larger shares of LPC, NDP and BQ voters — 37%, 34% and 47%, respectively — described it as an enemy.
There were also sizable differences in responses based on geographic location. For example, 41% of Alberta residents said the U.S. is an ally, while 28% of Quebec residents and 20% of Atlantic Canada residents said the same.
Additionally, men were far more likely than women to list the U.S. as an ally — 39% versus 22%.
The poll also asked 1,000 U.S. adults for their views on Canada, with responses being far more favorable.
The majority of U.S. respondents, 56%, described Canada as an ally, while 28% listed it as a neutral country and just 1% listed it as an enemy. Fifteen percent said they didn’t know or refused to answer, according to the poll, which has a margin of error between 2.5 and 3.1 percentage points.
The poll comes one month into Trump’s second term, during which time he has frequently mentioned his desire to incorporate Canada into the U.S.
He has said he could use “economic force” in order to make America’s northern neighbor — a key trading partner and longtime ally — the 51st state, according to Reuters.
“I think Canada would be much better off being the 51st state because we lose $200 billion a year with Canada. And I’m not going to let that happen,” Trump said in a Feb. 9 interview, according to the Associated Press. “Why are we paying $200 billion a year, essentially a subsidy to Canada?”
The Leger poll also comes after a February Pollara poll, which found just 10% of Canadians believe Trump is joking when he talks about making Canada part of the U.S. A plurality, 47%, said they believe the president’s comments are part of a negotiating tactic, according to previous reporting from McClatchy News.
This story was originally published February 24, 2025 at 11:51 AM with the headline "What do Canadians think of the US under Trump? Poll shows many view it as ‘an enemy’."