Most Americans Say Trump Was Wrong to Hit Canada With Tariffs, New Cross-Border Poll Finds

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Relations between the United States and Canada have been tested by one of their sharpest trade disputes in decades, but the tougher approach toward Ottawa is not winning broad support south of the border. A new cross-border reading of public opinion shows most Americans believe President Donald Trump was wrong to impose new tariffs on Canadian goods, while opposition in Canada is even more overwhelming.

The findings arrive as both governments escalate economic pressure, businesses confront new costs and restrictions, and politicians in trade-dependent U.S. states face growing questions about whether the confrontation is worth the price. They also reveal something unusual in an increasingly polarized political environment: many Americans and Canadians are reaching a similar conclusion about Washington’s latest move.

Most Americans Say Trump Got the Canada Tariffs Wrong

The headline finding is unusually clear. Fifty-six percent of U.S. adults said Trump was wrong to impose the new tariffs on Canadian goods, while 26 percent said he was right. The research, conducted by Public First for POLITICO between September 13 and 15, included 2,064 American adults and reported a margin of error of 2.2 percentage points for the U.S. sample.

That result is notable because the disagreement is not simply coming from Canadians reacting to an American policy. A majority inside the United States itself rejected Trump’s decision. Other recent polling has pointed in the same direction. Navigator Research found 60 percent of registered voters opposed additional tariffs on Canadian imports, compared with 30 percent who supported them. Earlier Reuters/Ipsos polling also found Americans opposing additional tariffs on Canada by a wide margin, suggesting the latest result fits a broader pattern rather than standing alone.

Canadian Opposition Is Far Stronger

If Americans are skeptical, Canadians are considerably more united. Eighty-three percent of Canadian respondents in the Public First research said Trump was wrong to impose the tariffs, while only 8 percent said he was right. The Canadian portion included 2,119 adults, giving the combined U.S.-Canada sample 4,183 respondents.

The size of that gap illustrates how differently the dispute is being experienced on each side of the border. Many Americans dislike the tariffs, but Canadian respondents overwhelmingly see their country as the target of an unjustified escalation. That sentiment has appeared elsewhere. Angus Reid Institute research conducted before the newest tariffs took effect found 59 percent of Americans opposed Trump’s latest tariff threat against Canada, while Canadian opinion had become increasingly wary of the United States. The newest findings suggest the eventual implementation of the tariffs did little to soften Canadian opposition.

Canadians Strongly Back Carney’s Counter-Tariffs

The countries diverge more sharply when the question shifts from Trump’s tariffs to Canada’s response. Seventy-one percent of Canadians said Prime Minister Mark Carney was right to impose reciprocal tariffs on U.S. goods, while 17 percent said he was wrong. Among Americans, opinion on Canada’s retaliation was much less decisive: 33 percent said Carney was right, 31 percent said he was wrong and the remainder did not take a side.

Canada’s response is substantial. Ottawa announced new counter-tariffs of 15, 25 and 50 percent covering C$27.6 billion worth of U.S. imports, effective September 8. Targeted sectors include steel and aluminum, dairy, appliances, agricultural equipment, pulp and paper, plastics and electronics. The Canadian government described the measures as a dollar-for-dollar response to U.S. tariffs. That helps explain why Canadians may view the measures less as an independent trade policy and more as retaliation for Washington’s earlier action.

The Cost of Tariffs Appears to Be a Major Weak Point

The political problem for tariffs becomes more visible when Americans are asked about prices. About half of U.S. adults in the Public First findings said tariffs were not worth it if they resulted in higher prices. Separate Navigator Research conducted September 10 to 14 found 59 percent saying Trump’s tariffs on Canadian imports had not been worth it, compared with 29 percent who believed they had.

Cost concerns extend beyond Canada specifically. Navigator found 67 percent of Americans believed tariffs were raising the prices of things they buy, with groceries, food and gasoline among the items respondents mentioned most often. That number measures public perception rather than proving how much any individual price increase was caused by tariffs. Still, it matters politically because voters often judge economic policy through everyday purchases rather than macroeconomic indicators. A tariff dispute can therefore become much more tangible when households believe it is showing up at the checkout counter or in monthly expenses.

Even Trump’s MAGA Supporters Show Some Unease Over the Timing

Support for Trump remains much stronger among his political base, but the Public First findings reveal an interesting distinction. Among respondents identified as MAGA Trump voters, 38 percent said Trump was right to impose the Canada tariffs even if the decision risked hurting Republicans in important congressional races. Another 40 percent said the tariffs were justified but believed Trump should have waited until after the midterm elections.

That does not mean most MAGA voters have turned against tariffs. In fact, the results show substantial support for the underlying policy within Trump’s base. What they reveal instead is concern about timing and political consequences. Broader Republican opinion is also more divided than Democratic opinion. Navigator Research found 31 percent of Republicans opposed additional Canada tariffs, with opposition rising to 48 percent among Republicans who did not identify with MAGA. The split suggests tariff policy is producing different reactions even within the president’s coalition.

Michigan Shows Why the Issue Can Become Very Local

National numbers can feel abstract, but the Canada dispute is particularly concrete in states whose businesses depend heavily on cross-border commerce. A Washington Post-Schar School poll conducted in Michigan found more than 60 percent of likely voters there opposed Trump’s 50 percent tariffs on Canadian products. Among political independents, opposition reached 68 percent. Democrats overwhelmingly opposed the tariffs, while a majority of Republicans supported them.

Michigan has an especially large stake because its manufacturing economy is closely connected with Ontario and the rest of Canada. The state conducted more than US$66 billion in trade with Canada in 2025, according to reporting accompanying the poll. Automotive production is one example of how integrated the two economies have become: parts and materials can cross the border during different stages of production before a finished vehicle reaches a customer. Tariffs therefore create potential costs not only for Canadian exporters but for American companies relying on those inputs.

Canada-U.S. Trade Is Simply Too Large to Ignore

The broader economic relationship helps explain why a targeted tariff dispute can attract disproportionate attention. U.S. Census Bureau data show the United States exported approximately US$333.6 billion in goods to Canada in 2025 while importing about US$381.9 billion. Combined, that represents roughly US$715.5 billion in two-way goods trade in a single year, before services are even included.

The current measures affect only part of that enormous commercial relationship, so they should not be mistaken for a tariff on every product crossing the border. The Trump administration also exempted categories including energy and potash from the additional Section 338 tariffs announced in July. Yet affected industries can still experience significant disruption. A tariff concentrated on specific products can be especially painful for companies whose supply chains depend on those goods. That helps explain why the dispute has become politically prominent even though most Canada-U.S. commerce continues outside the newest tariff measures.

Washington and Ottawa Still Tell Very Different Stories About the Dispute

The White House says the tariffs are intended to answer what it describes as discriminatory Canadian treatment of American automobiles, alcoholic beverages and dairy products. In July, the administration announced additional 50 percent duties on selected Canadian products under Section 338 of the Tariff Act of 1930. It argues that the measures are meant to offset disadvantages facing U.S. exporters and encourage more reciprocal trading conditions.

Ottawa disputes that characterization. The Canadian government says it suspended negotiations after concluding that the terms requested by Washington were not in Canada’s economic interest, then introduced matching countermeasures. The dispute could intensify further: U.S. proclamations issued in September call for import bans on certain Canadian products beginning September 29. The latest public-opinion findings do not determine which government’s trade arguments are correct, nor do they predict the outcome of future negotiations. They do, however, show that the tougher U.S. approach toward Canada currently lacks majority public backing at home.

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