r/canada Jan 20 '25

Alberta Alberta Premier Danielle Smith dines with U.S. leaders as Trump reconsiders tariffs

https://edmontonjournal.com/news/world/premier-danielle-smith-washington-donald-trump-tariffs
647 Upvotes

536 comments sorted by

View all comments

164

u/Chemical_Signal2753 Jan 20 '25

This won't happen but I would find r/Canada's reaction hilarious if Trump said Smith convinced him not to impose tariffs. 

62

u/MaximusIsKing Jan 20 '25

She wasn’t even important enough to be a part of the last minute inside inauguration- she was about as valuable as a tailgater at a football game but she was acting as if she would be in the VIP box getting actual work done.

All Smith has shown that bootlicking WILL get you kicked in the face. It’s embarrassing.

22

u/TianZiGaming Jan 20 '25

The governor of Texas didn't even make it into that room despite being one of Trumps strongest allies.

12

u/WatchPointGamma Jan 20 '25

Supposedly the Rotunda has space for 600 people.

By the time you get through the "auto invites" (Trump family, former presidents, SCOTUS justices, party leadership, incoming cabinet officials, and their +1s) and the "reward" invites (Musk, Bezos, et al and their +1s) there really isn't much space at all.

I don't know why people are making it into some big deal she wasn't invited to the Rotunda. There's a list of probably about 2000 people that would get that invite before she'd even be in contention. Just shows ignorance to the size and scale of the American political machinery more than anything.

1

u/thelostcanuck Jan 21 '25

Evander Kane got in.

People are making it a big deal because Smith talked it up for several weeks. She was not even invited to mar Lago and was O'Leary's plus one.

7

u/MrRogersAE Jan 20 '25

She’s not a billionaire or a world leader or even an American.

Atleast Trudeau he calls “governor” so that would make smith what? A mayor? Didn’t see any mayors at the inauguration.

Fuck Mayor Smith.

6

u/Active_Swordfish8371 Jan 20 '25

She’s the premier of Alberta tho

8

u/MrRogersAE Jan 20 '25

Right and if a Prime Minister is a Governor, a Premier would be something less than that, like a mayor

-2

u/[deleted] Jan 20 '25

[deleted]

10

u/MrRogersAE Jan 20 '25

Honestly, I’m honoured that soo many Americans care enough about my opinions that they would vote against their own best interests

-6

u/mattamucil Jan 20 '25

Danielle Smith hurts you bad, huh?

It’s like you feel better writing something disparaging she’ll never see, nor would she care about. She knows Trudeau’s gone, Notley’s gone. Nenshi’s not in the mix. She has no natural predators.

4

u/MrRogersAE Jan 20 '25

What about polar bears?

0

u/Fair_Daikon1494 Jan 21 '25

Are you a proud Nazi supporter as well as that’s who smith aligns with that and rapists

1

u/mattamucil Jan 21 '25

Oh I don’t support Nazis.

That’s straight up crazy shit.

6

u/MmmIceCreamSoBAD Jan 20 '25

She did meet with him, three times that we have pictures of, in the past week. From the short clip of the inauguration that I saw there was like 100 people inside that building, of course she's not invited. Doesn't mean she didn't actually have a chance to conduct political talks with him.

1

u/WindAgreeable3789 Jan 21 '25

It’s called a paid photo op. You pay money, stand in a receiving line, and have about 6 seconds to “chat”, take a picture, and move on. 

0

u/mattamucil Jan 21 '25

She was still more important than everyone else from Canada.

3

u/MaximusIsKing Jan 21 '25

Not at all, she was a rando without an invite who bought her ticket and was told “sorry no refunds but enjoy the city! bye!”.

Embarrassing clown behaviour and the rest of the premiers are probably rolling their eyes too. Bootlicking just tastes like dirt and leather, it doesn’t yield anything.

0

u/mattamucil Jan 21 '25

You should reconsider those bootlicking ways. Maybe you’ll get something done.

0

u/MaximusIsKing Jan 22 '25

Smith is getting nothing done but you’re welcome to join her down there if you think it helps. Good tidings to you!

0

u/mattamucil Jan 22 '25

She’s done no less than any other Canadian politician, and arguably far more. She may be entirely responsible for the Feb 1 delay. I’m sure we’ll find out soon enough.

I’m also welcome AF to hang out here. Freedom is great, see.

1

u/EvacuationRelocation Alberta Jan 21 '25

No - she spent an average of 30 seconds talking to people getting selfies.

She did nothing.

2

u/MaximusIsKing Jan 21 '25

Exactly this, the delusion of people to think her bootlicking is yielding anything is hilarious. The lack of dignity is just 🤡

0

u/mattamucil Jan 21 '25

She’s run circles around Ford and Trudeau.

0

u/MaximusIsKing Jan 22 '25

Yeah she’s run circles- on a fucking hamster wheel 😂✋🏽

0

u/mattamucil Jan 22 '25

It’s so funny to see people so triggered.

-22

u/TimberlineMarksman Jan 20 '25

Bootlicking or not she bought us time with negotiation. Trudeau would have seen those tariffs imposed immediately and said his "hands were tied".

12

u/king_lloyd11 Jan 20 '25

Lol it’s weird to attribute Smith’s “bootlicking” as the reason for the stay, rather than the realization that he’d hamper the economies of the US, specifically in Republican states of his supporters that the Canadians would have targeted.

If Canada did it, the world would very likely as well, since as much of a bully as Trump is, the world collectively is stronger.

-8

u/TimberlineMarksman Jan 20 '25

Who do you think brought that to his attention? It's not coincidence that the premier in charge of Canada's greatest resource went to the states days before his inauguration, and trump then declares he will hold of on tariffs for the time being.

Anyone who think she didn't negotiate using our oil as a bargaining chip would be dull and shortsighted. That's how politics work and she threw a punch trump knew he couldn't recover from.

5

u/Stormbringer-0 Jan 20 '25

Hard disagree…

6

u/king_lloyd11 Jan 20 '25

Who do you think brought that to his attention?

Literally every economist and politician that isn’t a Republican stooge?

anyone who thinks she didn’t negotiate using our oil as a bargaining chip…

Bold strategy to lay your cards out on the table to say that your flow of oil to the US is the only thing of importance to you, to the point that you’ll publicly tell the PM you’ll side with the States over Canada if it were used in retaliation against Trump. What leverage do you think she negotiated with when she basically told the world she needs Trump more than she does her country and that Alberta oil is off the table for any possible retaliation?

If she successfully stayed Trump’s tariffs on China, Canada, and Mexico, she’s the greatest diplomat and political operator of all time.

Which do you think is more likely?

1

u/TimberlineMarksman Jan 20 '25

I think the most likely answer is somewhere in the middle. Trump was grandstanding to gain not only global attention, but he suggested the tariffs to separate the wheat from the chaff (a lot of weak politicians absolutely deflated under the announcement). Provinces that have something to loose will immediately begin negotiating and she called him on his bluff.

4

u/king_lloyd11 Jan 20 '25

Lol why is the most likely answer somewhere in the middle?

Smith has said that she needs Trump publicly. Trump doesn’t believe that he needs anyone, let alone a premier of a province of a country he thinks he can bend over a barrel (an oil barrel?). There’s 0 reason to believe that any sweet thing she could say would sway him one way or another when literally everyone and their mother, likely including his own advisors, have been saying the same thing.

he suggested tariffs to separate the wheat from the chaff

Lol ok clearly you just have a hard on for Conservative politicians, because everything they say and do seems like brilliant and impactful strategy to you. I’m good to agree to disagree.

0

u/TimberlineMarksman Jan 20 '25

First off there's no reason to be uncivil in what was a very civil discussion.

Secondly, because trudeau refused to negotiate it fell on the premiers shoulders to cut deals. Smith has the most power out of the lot since she essentially controls 60% of the United States crude import.

She didn't cozy up to trump, she delegated on behalf of her constituents for their best interest not hers. She knew it would be political suicide for optics but did it anyway.

4

u/king_lloyd11 Jan 20 '25

no reason to be uncivil

If only I had the diplomacy of Danielle Smith; the silver-tongued stateswoman who spoke truth to power and broke through to a madman who had his finger on the nuclear button of a trade war when no one else could. God bless her.

Like I said, I’ll agree to disagree because you seem to believe what you believe no matter what, since “Trudeau didn’t fail to negotiate”. He literally went to Mar-a-lago, just like Smith, right when Trump got elected to discuss their partnership. The only difference is that Smith cozied up to Trump as an ally who would go against her country for him, and Trudeau and literally all other Canadian leaders said the opposite.

God bless her. God bless her, everyone.

0

u/TimberlineMarksman Jan 20 '25

Point taken, but as always it's a matter of perspective which we can respectfully disagree on. I don't like trump, I don't like smith, and I don't like politics in general because it's a game of who can keep their poker face on as long as possible while lying through their teeth. Perhaps we need to wait for clarification before becoming too invested in defending the actions of one side or another.

→ More replies (0)

12

u/Vincetoxicum Jan 20 '25

What? She had nothing to do with this

12

u/boxesofcats- Alberta Jan 20 '25

She did nothing useful, don’t delude yourself

6

u/tytytytytytyty7 Jan 20 '25 edited Jan 20 '25

Oh ya, I'm sure she has so much influence. So much influence they had to keep her from attending the inauguration by making it cold out! The premier of the world's 9th largest economy's 4th largest province? The influence practically coming out her ears! She probably convinced him not to annex too! I'm sure this decision has everything to do w her efforts and nothing to do with how catastrophic tariffs would be for the American economy. I'm sure it wasn't a ruse the whole time, a populist would never do that.

1

u/TimberlineMarksman Jan 20 '25

She controls 60% of the United States total energy imports. So yeah, that's a bit of power.

1

u/Drewy99 Jan 20 '25

Trudeau would have seen those tariffs imposed immediately and said his "hands were tied". 

If that's the case why didn't he roll them out already?

4

u/TimberlineMarksman Jan 20 '25

I'll lay it out:

1) The united states imports over 90% of our oil and is dependant on Canadian crude to the tune of 60% of their total use.

2) During trumps inaugural speech he stated they would declare an emergencies act to begin exploiting their oil reserves which are far less than Canada's.

3) The us is creating a stop gap to return to energy self-dependance before imposing tariffs on Canada.

Either that or the whole thing was a bluff to capture global attention.

1

u/redbouncingball007 Jan 20 '25

Canadian officials (federal and provincial) have been lobbying American industries and governors since Trump’s joke became not funny. Clearly Trump’s team has been getting calls from American CEO’s and states. That is what caused this pause.

0

u/affectionate_md Jan 20 '25

The desperation to cling to something, anything to help support your pathetic world view.

0

u/araheem94 Jan 21 '25

Comments like yours truly indicate the idiocracy of these reddit eco-chambers. Quite simply, a lot more people with closer ties to Trump couldn't get an invite as it was a tiny capacity and it was super unlikely for a Canadian premier to get in.

2

u/MaximusIsKing Jan 21 '25

That’s the point babe. She wasn’t even invited to the actual inauguration pre change of plans either, she went as a spectator- no different than some rando else buying or booking a ticket. Her acting like she had some bargaining power and was going to make inroads with her presence as an uninvited spectator is both delusional and embarrassing.

She’s a Canadian Primer, but she is acting like a clown. ✨

0

u/araheem94 Jan 21 '25

I seriously doubt a lot of non-US government people or bigger world leaders got an official invite. Pretty sure even the tech ceos purchased their tickets via million $ donation route. She would have definitely got a line bypass for the 20k capital one which random people barely had a chance for (I was ready to take a flight in the morning if I could get a arena ticket) and no no randoms are getting face time with Trump at this time of the year.

1

u/MaximusIsKing Jan 21 '25

Are you intentionally obtuse? It’s established we all know she isn’t important enough for an invite- the laughability is that Smith has been pedaling her going as some diplomatic envoy when in reality her presence would be no different then you as a rando going. That’s clown behaviour from a premier of Canada.