7 key takeaways from Poilievre's Joe Rogan interview
CBC
Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre sat down for a more than two-hour-long interview on The Joe Rogan Experience this week.
Rogan's show ranks near or at the top of podcast charts on Spotify, YouTube and Apple Podcasts — with over 20 million subscribers on YouTube alone.
The episode was posted online on Thursday after the interview was recorded Wednesday.
Poilievre told reporters that he used his appearance to argue against U.S. President Donald Trump's tariffs on Canadian goods.
"One of the biggest leverage points we have to fight for tariff-free trade, to fight for our auto, steel, aluminum and lumber workers, is the goodwill of the American people," he said on Thursday morning.
While the two did discuss tariffs, they also covered a range of other topics — including Trump's 51st state taunts, Poilievre's relationship with Prime Minister Mark Carney and mixed martial arts (MMA).
Here are some key takeaways from the interview.
Early on in the interview, Rogan asked Poilievre about Trump's repeated suggestion that Canada should become the 51st state and whether that had an impact on his chances in last year's election.
Poilievre didn't touch on how Trump's taunts impacted the election (he said he tries to "live in the present"), but did firmly reject the notion that Canada could join the U.S.
"We're very proudly Canadian so we're never gonna be the 51st state," Poilievre said.
"I just wish he'd knock that s--t off so that we can get back to talking about the things that we could do as two separate countries that are actually friends."
Rogan appeared to agree with Poilievre, saying the 51st state comment was "a crazy thing to say."
The Conservative leader went on to criticize Trump's policy of slapping tariffs on a number of Canadian goods, arguing it makes life more expensive for Americans.
"We should get the tariffs out because there's so much we could be doing together as neighbours and partners if we got rid of those tariffs," Poilievre said.
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