This piece written by Tim Kenyon, Professor in Brock’s Faculty of Humanities, originally appeared in The Conversation.
There have been many questions raised about the intentions behind Donald Trump’s spate of radical public statements about Canada, in which he claims trade deficits amount to subsidies, massive amounts of fentanyl are flowing across the border and the country should become the 51st American state, among other things.
The U.S. president’s comments have fuelled speculation about what he means when he makes these kinds of false claims — or whether he means anything at all.
After all, rounded to the nearest percentage point, zero per cent of illicit fentanyl entering the U.S. comes from Canada, trade deficits are not subsidies and annexing Canada is an absurd proposal.
So why say things that are so untrue?
Is Trump serious about any of this?
Ignore Trump? Or fear him?
The aggregate opinion seems to be both an unhelpful no and a yes, so the answer remains unclear.
If we take every provocation seriously, we’re falling for the “flood the zone” strategy as Trump spews out outlandish claims as a form of distraction.
If we shrug off his claims, we’re ignoring the potential danger.
But there are patterns and incentives behind Trump’s flouting of basic communicative norms. One illustrative example dates back to 2018 talks with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, when Trump complained about the U.S. trade deficit with Canada. Later, he told prospective donors in Missouri...
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