Trump thinks Canadians are “mean and nasty” for boycotting U.S. travel

U.S. President Donald Trump thinks Canadians are “mean and nasty” for refusing to travel to the United Stated and pulling American booze from liquor store shelves amid his tariff and annexation threats.

That’s according to Trump’s ambassador to Canada, who made the comments to an audience in Washington state Monday morning (July 21).

As reported by Global News, Pete Hoekstra, while speaking at the Pacific NorthWest Economic Region Foundation summit in Bellevue, Washington, was asked by an audience member about the reluctance of Canadians to travel to the U.S., particularly in light of the upcoming FIFA 2026 World Cup.

“That’s their business — I don’t like it, but if that’s what they want to do, that’s fine. They want to ban American alcohol; that’s fine. It doesn’t necessarily send real positive signals in terms of their treating us well,” Hokestra reportedly said.

“There are reasons why the president and some of his team refer to Canada as being mean and nasty to deal with, OK, because of some of those steps.”

"Keep it up”

The remarks didn’t sit well with B.C. Premier David Eby, who later said that U.S. leadership has "very little awareness" of how offensive their remarks are.

"Do they think Canadians are not going to respond when the president says, 'I want to turn you into the 51st state and begger you economically unless you bow to the U.S.'?" Eby told CBC's Power and Politics Monday evening in Huntsville, Ont., where premiers are meeting this week.

"Obviously, Canadians are outraged."

In a later statement to CBC News, Premier Eby said that Hoekstra's remarks show Canadians' efforts to stand up to Trump are "having an impact," urging people to "keep it up."

A “steep decline” 

The exchange comes as travel between Canada and the United States continues to see a downturn, according to federal data.

Earlier this month, Statistics Canada reported that 1.66 million Canadian residents returned from trips to the U.S. this past June, marking a notable decline compared to the same month in 2024.

Compared to one year earlier, air travel dropped by 22.1 per cent while automobile crossings fell by 33.1 per cent, marking what StatCan describes as a “steep decline” in cross-border movement."

READ MORE: DAC, U.S. Consul General unpack Canada-U.S. travel trends amid conflict; media coverage “overblown”

The June figures show a slight improvement over what StatCan reported in May. Cross-border air travel, that month, was down 24 per cent, while return trips by car dropped 38.1 per cent.

In contrast, Canadian trips overseas last month rose by seven per cent compared to June 2024, the agency reports.

As it has been well documented, international sentiment toward the U.S. has been undermined by several factors.

Prominent among these are policy announcements under the Trump administration, including proposed tariffs targeting long-time trade partners, including Canada.

The weak Canadian dollar and widespread media coverage of border security incidents and national travel advisories have further contributed to a negative image abroad.

“Overblown” media coverage

Speaking to PAX at a Discover America Canada event earlier this month, U.S. Consul General in Toronto Baxter Hunt noted one key barrier that he believes is affecting traveller confidence: the perception that entering the United States is a difficult process.

Many Canadians are concerned after a series of troubling reports involving tourists being detained in U.S. immigration facilities, coupled with warnings about the potential search of electronic devices at the border.

READ MORE: “Steep decline”: Travel from Canada to the U.S. continued to drop in June

But Hunt says the media coverage surrounding these events is “hugely overblown.”

A “minuscule number” of people are facing issues at the U.S. border, he said.

His message is that the United States “very much welcomes tourists from Canada.”

Still number one

At that same event was Susan Webb, president of Discover America Canada (and president and co-owner of VoX International), who noted even though there’s a reduction in Canadians travelling to the U.S., “we’re still the number one international market for the U.S.”

“There are still people travelling [to the U.S.],” she said. “We need to keep that in mind.”

Citing marketing intel from various tourism partners, Webb said younger Canadians are “not as concerned” about the political rhetoric that has been dominating the news.

“They still want to go to sporting events or festivals,” she said. “They don't want to miss out on the experiences.”

Some Canadians are still willing to take their children to U.S. theme parks or go on cruises that depart from American ports, she said.

Family reunification is also keeping cross-border travel alive – like the young traveller who “wants to visit their grandparents in Hawai’i,” Webb said.

It’s Canada’s older demographic – age 65 and up – that’s perhaps taking the geopolitical conflict “more personal.”

“They're doing a wait and see,” Webb said.

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