Why Trump Is Fixated on Canada
This article analyzes Donald Trump's aggressive economic stance toward Canada, characterizing it as a destructive obsession. The author argues that Trump views international relations through a transactional, property-based lens, leading to friction with traditional allies.
Why it matters
It provides a critical perspective on the impact of current US foreign policy on long-standing diplomatic and trade relationships.
Even by the standards of the president’s many obsessions, his attack on America’s closest friend is notably destructive.
Andrew Harnik / Getty September 9, 2026, 6:02 PM ET Share Save This is an edition of The Atlantic Daily, a newsletter that guides you through the biggest stories of the day, helps you discover new ideas, and recommends the best in culture. Sign up for it here.
When Donald Trump looks at a map, he doesn’t see nations. He sees property. All of those pretty colors do not represent actual places filled with human beings who have distinct cultures, languages, and histories; the planet, to Trump, is a big board game, like Risk or Monopoly. Greenland isn’t a real location—it’s a valuable chunk of territory nestled between Boardwalk and Park Place. The Strait of Hormuz isn’t an international waterway—it’s a thing to control somewhere between Kamchatka and East Africa.
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