On Saturday, newly elected U.S. President Donald Trump officially declared a 25 percent tariff on imports from Canada, sparking a trade war between the two nations. Unsurprisingly, the reaction from Canadians was far from positive.
Trump made the controversial announcement on Truth Social, asserting that the measure was necessary to prevent “illegal aliens and deadly drugs” from entering the country.
“Today, I have implemented a 25% Tariff on Imports from Mexico and Canada 10% on Canadian Energy), and a 10% additional Tariff on China. This was done through the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) because of the major threat of illegal aliens and deadly drugs killing our Citizens, including fentanyl,” Trump wrote in his post.
“We need to protect Americans, and it is my duty as President to ensure the safety of all. I made a promise on my Campaign to stop the flood of illegal aliens and drugs from pouring across our Borders, and Americans overwhelmingly voted in favor of it,” Trump continued.
Not long after the tariffs were made public, the Ottawa Senators faced off against the Minnesota Wild in an NHL game held in Ottawa, Canada’s capital.
As is tradition when a Canadian team plays against an American team, both the Canadian and U.S. national anthems were performed before the game.
Typically, both anthems are met with respect from the crowd, but that certainly wasn’t the case on Saturday night.
Canadians in Ottawa boo the US national anthem after US President Donald Trump announces 25% tariffs on Canada. pic.twitter.com/Tqa2LwTssE
— Stephen Taylor (@stephen_taylor) February 2, 2025
Following the announcement of U.S. tariffs on Canada, the Canadian fans in attendance loudly booed throughout the entire rendition of the Star-Spangled Banner.
Needless to say, this incident sparked a lot of reactions on social media.
“The players don’t deserve that do they,” one person wrote on X.
“It’s actually sad to see it come to this. I’ve seen many examples of Canadian hockey fans finishing the US anthem when the PA system breaks,” another person added.
“American here – good for them,” someone else said.
“As an American, this is fantastic! Keep it up,” another person said.
“Deserved. We are complete idiots for electing the worst, dumbest, least capable person in the United States to be our leader,” said another commenter.
“Good. The USA is now the enemy of the civilised world. And I live here,” someone else said.
To say Canadians are unhappy with Trump’s decision would be an understatement.
