Let’s not kid ourselves. Trump doesn’t want us actually stronger. He doesn’t care if we’re more democratic because he doesn’t actually care about his own democracy other than as a tool to empower and aggrandize himself. He’s a ‘will to power’ type. He wants to leverage, exploit, and profit from other countries. Our weaknesses and failings aren’t actually things that particularly vex him; rather they’re political and diplomatic vulnerabilities that he knows he can wedge a lever in to justify more crass and exploitive wants of his own.
Being able to literally fold some or all of Canada into the U.S. - to acquire us, in a way familiar tot he him in the world he came up in - would be the ultimate coup. If he actually has his sights set on that, on economically pressuring us to cave and sell out, it’s not something we’ll ameliorate by policy choices.
Now, we should make sound policy choices anyway for their own sake, and to be able to take the rhetorical wind out of his sails at least somewhat. We should absolutely materially improve our sovereignty for the sake of sovereignty. But the Trump wind blows hard, and I think we’re in for four straight years of plain bullying to try to coerce us. Preparing for anything less than that would be foolhardy.
I certainly don't think Trump is acting out of any sort of benevolence. At least not towards Canada.
I think that his push for 2 to 5% of GDP is predicated on a couple or three things.
1 - I think that he feels that the US has been employed by the international community as insurer and night watchman for the past few decades and that that has imposed a financial burden on the US that was not carried by countries that are now competing with the US.
2 - I think he wants to monetize that burden and get compensation for past services.
3 - I think he wants other countries to do the security work so the US doesn't have to.
4 - I think he wants other countries to be hindered by their security budgets as much as the US is.
5 - I think also that security may include foreign aid and development of which the US has contributed a lions share.
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A few years back our Federal Government was in financial difficulties. Paul Martin balanced the books by offloading expenses to the Provinces.
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I can't agree with those people that are seeing this as a malicious attack on Canada. I don't think we should take this personally and respond defensively. I think we need to see this as a completely different philosophy being implemented by people that feel hard done by and want to do the other thing. I do agree with those who see Canada as being used as an example, demonstrating to the rest of the world that if he can do this to Canada then he can do this to anybody. After all Canada is a Most Favoured Nation who was granted tariff free access to the US market first in what became, or was supposed to become, a model for international trade.
I also think that Canada being threatened with the same 25% tariff as Mexico on, essentially, the same grounds as Mexico was indicative of his desire to renegotiate the NAFTA agreements. Canada was minded, once upon a time, to stand with Mexico against the US. Trump managed to separate Mexico and Canada the last time around. This time around Trudeau started talking about standing with Mexico. It didn't take long until Freeland very publicly threw Mexico under the bus. We have got to the place where we are arguing that we don't deserve 25% tariffs because we aren't Mexico. We don't have the drug and immigration problems Mexico does. And our workers aren't as cheap as Mexico's.
financialpost.com
