El-Sayed: If you’re starting a trade war with Canada, ‘you’re the a‑‑hole’

Michigan Democratic Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed, whose own state borders Canada, on Monday slammed the recent trade tensions between the Trump administration and its northern neighbor.

“Now, over the last couple of weeks, Michiganders have been struck by yet another disastrous Trump policy: the expansion of a trade war with Canada,” El-Sayed said during a press conference in Detroit.

“Now, we’re here in Michigan, we all know Canadians. Canadians are like the only people in the world who are going to preemptively apologize for something they didn’t even do. So, if you’re starting a trade war with Canada, it’s because you’re the a‑‑hole,” the Democratic Senate candidate added.

In the latter half of August, trade tensions between Washington and Ottawa have heated up, with both countries slapping tariffs on each other’s goods.

On Monday, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent took aim at Prime Minister Mark Carney, claiming the Canadian leader “ chose to walk away ” from a trade deal.

“And then he started this. And it’s unfortunate that he’s not doing what’s best for the Canadian people. He’s doing best, what is best for the Liberal Party, what’s best for Mark Carney. And in the long run, the other Canadian people are going to see through that,” Bessent said Monday on CNBC’s “Squawk on the Street.”

On Sunday, President Trump said he did not want American businesses to import Canadian goods. In a post on Truth Social, the president said his tariffs “revived, and indeed saved” the American automobile industry, noting profits from Ford, General Motors and other American auto companies amid his second term. Both Ford and General Motors are based out of Michigan.

During his Monday press conference, El-Sayed also went after his GOP opponent in the Michigan Senate race, former Rep. Mike Rogers.

“He has no choice but to rubber stamp — to roger — a trade war that is now costing the Michiganders that he says he wants to serve nearly $6,000 a year for the goods and services we did not have to worry about. Now, to what end? There’s a smart use of tariffs, this ain’t it,” El-Sayed said of his opponent.

In an interview on Fox News’s “Fox & Friends” Monday, Rogers said that when it comes to trade, “you can send somebody back who gets up every day and tries to gouge the president’s eyes out,” referring to El-Sayed.

“Or you can send somebody back who’s going to walk in and say, ‘Hey, can we work on this part of the trade deal?’” Rogers added, referring to himself.