John Bolton, Former U.S. National Security Advisor under President Trump (2018-2019) and former U.S. Ambassador to the UN (2005-2006) at Intersect 26 in Toronto on April 22.Fred Lum/The Globe and Mail
Former U.S. ambassador John Bolton says he believes U.S. President Donald Trump was never serious about annexing Canada and that it’s important to separate him from the rest of America.
In a wide-ranging interview at Intersect, a conference hosted by The Globe and Mail in Toronto, the former national security adviser to the President in Mr. Trump’s first term, chalked up Mr. Trump’s comments about annexing Canada, calling former prime minister Justin Trudeau “governor” and saying Canada would become the 51st state to his dislike for Mr. Trudeau.
“I don’t think it was ever serious, but the more people reacted, the more he loved doing it … it’s called ‘trolling.’”
Mr. Bolton said Mr. Trump and those around him think government policy is determined by how well you troll – “and they trolled Trudeau very, very well.”
But he said Americans who voted for Trump did not vote for that.
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“I think it’s important to separate Trump, who I believe is an aberration from the majority feeling in the country, because much of what he’s done, including threatening invading Canada, played no part in the 2024, 2020 or 2016 presidential campaigns. This was out of his fertile imagination, and I think that’s really where support for it is confined − except to sycophants around him.”
Still, Mr. Bolton suggested Canada deserves some criticism. He said he believes in a strong North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) − and as such member countries need to contribute their fair share, something “Canada hasn’t done in a long time.”
“Now, that traditionally doesn’t bother the United States much because, quite honestly, we can’t defend ourselves without defending you. Congratulations. But you should pay your fair share of the burden.”
And while Canada finally met NATO’S defence spending target of 2 per cent of GDP last month, Mr. Bolton said that’s not enough. (Ottawa has committed to meeting NATO’s new target of 3.5 per cent on core defence spending and an additional 1.5 per cent of GDP on defence and security-related investments by 2035.)
He also criticized Canada for strengthening ties with China. “Congratulations on growing closer to China. I hope you enjoy it. China is the main threat in the 21st century.”
But when it comes to Canada’s relationship with the United States, Mr. Bolton suggested considering the bigger picture.
“There are transient things and there are permanent things, and you have to think not only what happens for the next three years but what happens in the infinity that lies after the next three years.
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“Let’s start with a few things that are constant. One is geography. I mean, I’m sorry you live next to the United States, but what do you expect me to do about it?”
Trade ties between the two countries span centuries, he said, and are “dictated by a logic that Trump may not understand.”
And that applies to other issues as well. Mr. Trump says things that people in Canada – and people in the United States − don’t like. Mr. Bolton said it’s important to consider long-term issues and the things that keep the two countries bound together.
When asked at the end of the interview to share an “unpleasant truth about the world,” Mr. Bolton left the audience with this message: “There are evil people out there who think your civilization is rotten and prime for the picking, and if they can do it, they will.”