Real estate developer and businessman Ross Perot Jr. looks on during U.S. President Donald Trump's meeting with an oil industry executives, at the White House in Washington on Jan. 9.Kevin Lamarque/Reuters
Ross Perot Jr., the son of the former U.S. presidential candidate of the same name and a senior official at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, called Premier Doug Ford a “great salesman” for Ontario after the two met in Texas during a provincial trade mission last week.
In an interview this week with The Globe and Mail, Mr. Perot – a billionaire real estate developer who chairs the board at the U.S. Chamber, the largest private business organization in the world – shared his advice on how Canada should approach its dealings with U.S. President Donald Trump, whom he called a friend. The Chamber represents three million American businesses of all sizes.
Mr. Perot met Mr. Ford for an hour and a half in Dallas, which included a visit to a private museum on the family property dedicated to the late Ross Perot, who ran as an independent presidential candidate.
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The elder Perot, a self-made tech billionaire and free-trade skeptic, finished third in the 1992 race against Bill Clinton and George H. W. Bush with almost 19 per cent of the vote – a huge feat for a non-major party candidate. He also founded the Reform Party and ran again for president in 1996. He died in 2019.
Democratic U.S. presidential nominee Gov. Bill Clinton, left, independent candidate Ross Perot, centre, and President George H. W. Bush laugh at the conclusion of a debate in East Lansing, Mich., on Oct. 19, 1992.Mark Cardwell/Reuters
Mr. Perot said the Premier, whose family ran a label company, was taken with his father’s story.
“He loved my father’s political legacy. It’s a little bit like his – business to politics,” he said.
“He loved the political part of the museum. And so we had to watch a lot of these Saturday Night Live skits and the other things we have,” Mr. Perot said, referring to late-night television sketches featuring comedian Dana Carvey, who played the elder Perot.
Perot laughs after saying 'Watch my lips,' in response to reporters asking when he plans to formally enter the U.S. presidential race, on May 5, 1992.RICHARD DREW/The Associated Press
Mr. Perot said Mr. Ford was “very optimistic” about the province and invited him to visit Ontario. Mr. Perot said he will.
“The meeting went very well. He’s a great salesman, and we continue to emphasize the strength between Texas and Canada and Ontario, and what a great relationship we’ve had, the amount of business we have together,” he said.
Grace Lee, a spokesperson for Mr. Ford, said the Premier had an “engaging and thoughtful meeting” with Mr. Perot on the deep ties between Ontario and Texas, which amount to more than US$31-billion so far. She said the time the two spent together left a “strong impression.”
“Premier Ford will never stop making the case for stronger co-operation and a tariff-free economic partnership between our two countries to bring more jobs and economic opportunities on both sides of the border,” Ms. Lee said in a statement.
Relations between the U.S. and Canada have grown rocky during Mr. Trump’s second term, with the President even calling prime ministers “governor,” and speaking repeatedly about making Canada the 51st state. Mr. Trump has imposed tariffs on key Canadian industries such as steel, aluminum and autos, and mused about leaving the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement.
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Mr. Perot, a Republican who has supported Mr. Trump, said the best way to deal with the U.S. President is to engage with him personally and directly.
“I think the key to President Trump is to always be optimistic. If he’s got issues, you go in there, you work with him,” he said.
The President is someone who “loves to negotiate” and “wants to get things done.”
“I’d get in there and give him all the reasons and all the issues you want to talk about, but the key is engagement,” he said.
Asked about Mr. Ford’s frequent criticism of the U.S. President on American television networks, Mr. Perot said it’s not his place to comment.
“I don’t live in Ontario, and I don’t know Ontario politics,” he said. “All I know is that with me, he was positive, optimistic, came across very strong, very pro-Canada, very pro-Ontario, and very pro-America.”
Despite current tensions, Mr. Perot said he believes the President wants a good relationship with Canada.
“Right now we’re a little bit busy in Iran,” he said, referring to the ongoing conflict in the Middle East which began when the U.S. and Israel launched a military assault on the country.
“I think when all that’s resolved, we’ll get back to getting everything with Canada smoothed out.”
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Asked if Mr. Trump is serious about making Canada its 51st state, Mr. Perot said, “Oh, I don’t think so. But you never know.”
“He knows how to get attention,” he added, referring to Mr. Trump.
Still, he added some in the business community – particularly small businesses – like the President’s tariff approach.
“All the dairy farmers really like them,” he said.
Mr. Trump has been a frequent critic of Canada’s supply-managed dairy sector, saying it hurts American farmers because it limits access to the market, although that claim has been refuted by the Canadian industry.
Mr. Perot praised Mr. Trump for attracting investment to the U.S. and said Canada has “self-inflicted wounds” by not allowing more development of its natural resources, including oil and gas.
However, he characterized Prime Minister Mark Carney as a serious businessman.
“I like Mark,” Mr. Perot said.
“I think he seems to work with President Trump well.”