Trump trash talks Freeland in blast from her political past
CBC
A day that rattled Canadian politics ended the exact same way Chrystia Freeland spent a defining chapter of her political career: Getting trash-talked by Donald Trump.
That blast from Freeland's past came in a social media post from Trump late Monday, in a comment on her departure from Canada's federal cabinet.
The post from the U.S. president-elect underscored their past tussling over trade and other issues. In the message, Trump continued his running troll of Canada, likening it to an American state, then adding a personalized insult of a former interlocutor who once frustrated him.
"The Great State of Canada is stunned as the Finance Minister resigns, or was fired, from her position by Governor Justin Trudeau," Trump posted on his site, Truth Social.
"Her behavior was totally toxic, and not at all conducive to making deals which are good for the very unhappy citizens of Canada. She will not be missed!!!"
The post drew new international attention to the eye-popping political drama unfolding in Canada. To date, it has not been a top news item in the U.S., which is busy with a gusher of its own political news related to the presidential transition.
It did rekindle memories of how Freeland spent key moments in her nine-year career in the federal cabinet; U.S. affairs were central to it.
Freeland was named international trade minister as her first cabinet position, then was elevated to foreign minister to deal with Trump in 2017, becoming the lead minister on cross-border issues.
In frequent trips to the U.S., Freeland won plaudits from American liberals. She even received awards from Trump's U.S. critics who celebrated her as a defender of the liberal international order.
Freeland emphasized that by sharing books with her negotiating interlocutors about human progress and the dangers of sliding back into nationalism.
This elicited eyerolls – or worse – in Trump's Washington.
Trump himself took a public dig at her, late in the NAFTA renegotiation: "We don't like their representative very much," Trump said in late 2018.
Yet the new trade deal was finalized a few days later. Freeland played a central role, occasionally frustrating her American interlocutors, before landing the deal.
The U.S. trade czar, Robert Lighthizer, blew up in different meetings over leaks from her side to Canadian reporters during the negotiations.
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