Canada took the trade war to Trump’s backyard. Americans didn’t care

Canada looms over Lance Thrailkill’s office as a dead, stuffed bird.

Mounted above the Texas manufacturer’s desk, a Canada goose, flanked by a mallard and four deer heads, fixes a glassy stare on the room. An open bottle of rye whiskey sits on the floor below.

It is a fitting backdrop for a conversation about another Canadian presence hanging over Thrailkill’s business: the escalating trade war between Washington and Ottawa.

At All Metals Fabricating, the third-generation family company he runs near Dallas, the price Thrailkill pays for aluminum has risen 84 per cent since tariffs were first introduced by the US in March 2025, he says. In 2026 alone, it’s up 40 per cent, he says.

But for Thrailkill, the financial pain has not become a political liability – at least not enough to change his vote.