Donald Trump reignited Canadian patriotism. The election proved it

Political theorist David Polansky on the deeper meaning behind PM Mark Carney's win.
Prime Minister Mark Carney delivers his victory speech on the night of Apr. 28, 2025. (Photo courtesy of X/Twitter)

On the eve of Canada’s federal election, U.S. President Donald Trump took to Truth Social, the little-used social media website he created, to recommend Canadians head to the polls and vote for… Donald Trump. “IT WAS MEANT TO BE,” he typed, in all-caps, prompting the vast majority of Canadians to roll their eyes and remain in minimal voting lines, eagerly awaiting their election results to roll in well before bedtime.

In spite of Trump’s demands, Canadians are prioritizing nationalism and sovereignty in this election, with a spotlight being shone on the distinctions between Canada and the United States. This has been a topic of interest for Phoebe Maltz Bovy, a dual citizen of both countries, who has been following the shifting aesthetic of patriotism since moving here in 2015. She sits down with David Polansky, an American writer and political theorist living in Toronto, to discuss these issues and more, including the Jewish community’s shifting political affiliations and the dynamics of ethnic minorities within Canadian conservatism.

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Credits

  • Host: Phoebe Maltz Bovy
  • Production team: Michael Fraiman (producer & editor), Marc Weisblott (editorial director)
  • Music:Gypsy Waltz” by Frank Freeman, licensed from the Independent Music Licensing Collective

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