Trudeau tries to make it in New York
If Canadian celebrities have taught us anything, it’s that if you want to make it big in Canada, you need to make it big in America first.
Perhaps that’s what Justin Trudeau was thinking when he decided to do The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.
The decision would’ve been a no-brainer back in his Trudeaumania days. But Trudeau’s no longer a popular new politician offering change; he’s an unpopular old one opposing it.
Trudeau may still be revered by American progressives who think he’s making Canada a fairer society. But now, thanks to Jordan Peterson and Joe Rogan, he’s also reviled by American conservatives who think he’s making Canada a “communist shithole.”
Granted, Colbert probably doesn’t get his Canadian news from red-pill podcasts. On the other hand, the last time Colbert talked about Trudeau on his show was in a segment called “Oh, Canada” featuring that photo of the prime minister in brownface at a party when he was 29.
And even in the best-case scenario, Trudeau would certainly get criticized for doing it. The Conservatives call him “Jet-Setting Justin” and “high-carbon hypocrite” whenever he leaves Ottawa – let alone when it’s to go on TV after speaking at the UN in New York.
And in the worst-case scenario, he could totally bomb.
Nevertheless, in an act of either supreme confidence or supreme desperation, the Canadian prime minister made his debut on American late-night.
So, how did he do? Well, considering he’s down by around 20% in national polls and facing the threat of a snap election: shockingly well.
He explained Canada to Americans: our culture is a “tapestry,” not a “melting pot”; our foreign policy is about collaboration, not conquest; our leader is called “Prime Minister,” not “Mr. President”; et cetera. While it wasn’t a novel pitch, his salesmanship was charismatic and convincing – assuming, of course, you don’t already think he’s full of shit and can’t stand his face.
Setting aside the question of likeability, Trudeau did well on questions about foreign policy.
When Colbert asked about the most boring disagreement between two countries in the history of the world – the softwood-lumber dispute – Trudeau answered diplomatically, “You guys are paying too much for your lumber because you’ve got tariffs on it – and that doesn’t make any sense, so we keep trying to point that out for you.”
When Colbert asked about Americans coming over the border to buy cheaper drugs, Trudeau answered diplomatically, “We’re happy to try and help you out – but it would be really easier if you guys had universal healthcare.”
When Colbert asked about tensions between Canada and Russia over control over the Arctic, Trudeau answered diplomatically, “It’s a bit of a challenge” – to which Colbert remarked, “You just called Vladimir Putin ‘a bit of a challenge’; that is a Canadian understatement if I’ve ever heard it.”
But perhaps most surprisingly, Trudeau even did well on questions about domestic affairs.
When Colbert asked about Pierre Poilievre, saying that he’s heard him called “Canada’s Trump,” Trudeau didn’t endorse the comparison but replied, “My opponent is gaslighting us.”
When Colbert asked why “nativism or far-right xenophobia might grow even in a country as polite as Canada,” Trudeau replied, “It’s a really tough time in Canada right now. People are hurting. People are having trouble paying for groceries, paying for rent.”
When Colbert asked if the situation in Canada is similar to the one in America, Trudeau replied, “The housing crisis is a little sharper. Our economic outlook is slightly more positive than the United States right now. But people don’t feel it.”
And when Colbert asked why the prime minister is so unpopular at home, Trudeau replied, “People are taking a lot out on me. For understandable reasons: I’ve been here, and I’ve been steering us through all these things. And people are sometimes looking at change.”
But he wasn’t done: “The reality is, I deeply believe in continuing to fight climate change, and continuing to invest in people, and continuing to support people. And I’m going to keep fighting.”
Trudeau claiming that the reason so many people hate him is because they’re in pain and need someone to blame – as opposed to claiming responsibility for Canada’s affordability crisis – will almost certainly make those people hate him even more.
But there’s no denying that Canada has made a scapegoat of Justin Trudeau. Don’t believe me? Listen to the episode of The Daily about the American housing crisis that came out the morning after Trudeau’s Colbert appearance called How the Cost of Housing Became So Crushing.
Spoiler: it wasn’t Trudeau’s fault.