The MeidasTouch Podcast - 'Elbows Up!': Canada MP Charlie Angus Torches Trump Over Threats

Episode Date: March 3, 2025

MeidasTouch host Ben Meiselas interviews Canadian MP Charlie Angus who directs a powerful message to Trump and his regime. Visit MeidasPlus.com for more exclusive MeidasTouch content. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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Charlie, they're supposed to happen on Tuesday, although now you've got people in the Trump administration saying, well, it's possible that if Canada does this or that, what's going on? What's the vibe in Canada right now, Mr the horrific abuse that Donald Trump and J.D. Vance subjected a genuine war hero, President Zelensky, to in the White House while having some troll from the Russian media there to watch it, Canadians are really sickened in their stomach. I mean, we've been ready for a fight. We've been knowing that this guy's going to come and try and push us around,, we've been ready for a fight. We've been knowing that this guy's going to come and try and push us around and we've been getting ready for it. But we saw

that. We saw that at the same time that Pete Navarro, the crackpot economic guru that Donald Trump's been listening to, saying that they were going to redraw our borders. that's an act of war. So suddenly this fight that we're seeing in Canada is feeling very different right now, and it's feeling like we are going to a different place, and it's really made Canadians much more determined. So the Trump tariffs, yeah, maybe they're coming, maybe they're not. Maybe he's shouting. You know, this whole thing we've been told, he needs to look like he's got a victory, he's got to win something.

It's like those relatives that you have who are like gambling addicts who basically sold the house and they come back and they want $1,000 and they said they won something. Trump is selling America's reputation. He's selling their relations. He's selling out thousands of jobs with this economic uncertainty. And Canadians are just hunkering down. Bring it on, Donald. Whatever you're going to do, you're going to do. We're going to do what we're going to do. And it ain't going to be pretty. Charlie, paint the picture. If these tariffs were to be implemented? What are you hearing on the ground

in terms of factories closing, businesses shutting down? What kind of economic devastation do you anticipate would be inflicted on America? I mean, I know that Canada is prepared, has been preparing. This is part of the national discourse there because of the threats. In America, I don't think people are taking it as seriously. So what do you think will happen? Well, this is a really important point because it's going to hurt us. I mean, we're an integrated market. America's number one export market is Canada. And Canada's number one export market is the United States. It makes sense. We're trading nations. So we understand that we're going to be hurt. But since Donald's put the fact that he

doesn't believe we're a real nation on the table, and we're seeing very Putin-like abuse towards our borders and our national security and our right to even exist canadians understand okay we're in this for the long haul as for the united states the impacts are going to they've already started from the massive boycott that's happening of all american products and american vacation destinations which canadians love to go to the united states in the winter and they're not going but the i think one of the big big areas it going to shock America and it's going to shock the Trump administration is what's going to happen in the auto sector. I mean, everybody pays attention to the tech bros, but auto drives the economy. such an intricate manner from what we're hearing from people who are very very uh aware of how integrated the market is between the united states and canada within four days four days whether or not canada even retaliates within four days of the tariffs being put on

plants like toledo and lansing michigan start to go down bowling green starts to go down so canada is going to take a hit. But once you start shutting down auto plants, you are doing massive damage to the economy. So again, Donald, what's your end game here? What are you trying to do? What's this big victory you're going to score? Once you mess with auto, you are messing with America's economy.

You're certainly messing with Canada's economy. And you're not going to come out on the winning side of this. Well, it seems like that's why Trump's secretary, Scott Besant, Trump's commissary, Howard Lutnick, they seem to get it. But of course, they're spineless, so they're not going to ever stand up to him. That's why they say things like, oh, well, this is a fluid situation. And to your point, well, can't you just make it seem like Trump's got a win here? But I think the point that you're making is, as this happens again, here we go again. We were here 30 days ago, and here it is. It's like, at this point, the Canadians are not buying American stuff, right? The Canadians are not traveling to America. I mean, also, it's like a measles

outbreak in Texas, and Musk has gutted our agencies. But like, almost regardless of what's happened, a lot of the damage has been done. I mean, not quite like if the tariffs are implemented and retaliatory, but right, a lot's happened already. I think this first 40 or 50 days of the Trump madness have been the end of the American century. I don't know how else to put it. When I was in Europe, I felt that. We see that Norwegian suppliers are refusing to fuel American ships. America is now suddenly isolated on the world stage.

And to what benefit? It's certainly to the benefit of Putin. It's certainly to the benefit of China. But when America is fighting its number one ally, like Canada, and making us as angry as we are, and again, I think our Canadian viewers and our American viewers will generally sense that Canadians don't tend to get really angry. We are seriously angry now.

And this is a lasting anger. It's not going to go away. If Donald backs off or he gives tariffs on one thing but not the other, I don't think anything's changing here. People are really – this is a profound line in the sand that's been crossed because it's about our right to exist as a people. And Canadians are very, very, we become kin very quickly when you suddenly attack one of us. But what he's done is he's attacked the world. Certainly Vladimir Putin, I bet there's champagne corks going off in the Kremlin every night. I bet in Beijing, they're doing a happy dance right now. America is now very,

very isolated and very alone. And I think a lot of ordinary Americans who are going to be traveling are going to be picking up a lot of animosity for stuff they probably had nothing to do with. This is about Donald. This is about J.D. Vance. This is about the abuse that they gave President Zelensky. This is about doofuses like Pete Navarro and Robert Kennedy Jr. and the whole gang of cretins that they brought in and allowed to take over what was supposed to be our shining light on the hill. You and I have talked about some Canadian phrases, and I think as you are adopting me as an honorary Canadian for purposes of our pro-democracy stance. We talked on a past interview about going over the boards and what that means when Canadians

go gloves off and they're saying, we're peaceful people. But once you poke us like that, there's a point where, go look at the history of when Canadians fight, Canadians win. There was this moment on SNL with Mike Myers where he was wearing the Canada is not for sale shirt. But then he also gave a gesture that Canadians understood what it means, pointing to his elbow and whispering elbows up, which I know our Canadian audience saw. And it may have been lost on the American audience. Tell us about that rallying call and what you're hearing in Canada. Well, Ben, since so many of my working class voters up in Northern Ontario watch you, they expect that you understand what elbows up means. So we are just going to go that you guys

totally get elbows up. Elbows up refers to Gordie Howe from floral Saskatchewan, who's leader of the production line of the Detroit Red Wings. Gordy was the sweetest guy on the planet, but when Gordy did elbows up, it meant people got black eyes and people lost teeth. So last night or Saturday night, when Mike Myers is on Saturday night live and he's like, everybody loves him in Canada. There's so many great Canadian actors and comedians and artists who are in the

United States. And to us, we get it that they're going to the big leagues, but we always consider them hometown boys. So when Mike Miles elbows up, that message to Canadians was don't be polite. Don't hope for the best. You do what you have to do and do it the way Gordie would do it, which means people are going to get black eyes. People are going to lose teeth. And so for the doofus leaders like J.D. Vance and Pete Navarro and the Trump gang, they're going to be in for a real shock. Mike sent the message and that's message. I've been hearing it all day. Elbows up, elbows up, elbows up. I've been talking to like capitalist businessmen who travel the world who tell me never going back, never spending a dime, elbows up. So

Mike sent a message on SNL last night. It was the secret code, but the code has been well received and everybody in Canada feeling really good about Mike Myers right now. Finally, I want you to send a message right now. You know that the Trump administration and their team are watching this show. They're probably watching it more now, given a lot of the coverage that you've seen out there, that this show is beating the Joe Rogan show. We're also the number one podcast in Canada and America right now. So a lot of people are listening and watching this.

So what is your message to Donald Trump, Charlie Angus? Well, Donald, you had to bring a guy from the Russian state media in to watch you try and beat up President Zelensky, and you thought that would make you look good. It made you look like the crook and the cheap hood that you are. It's sickened us in our stomachs, but I've been talking to people all over the world who are sickened in their stomachs by what you tried to pull off. Zelensky is a man that you will never be in a million years. He's a genuine hero. So Donald, where are you going to go with this?

Are you going to continue to be the puppet and the bootlicker of Vladimir Putin, another criminal, a guy whose economy isn't one-fifth or one-tenth of what the United States is? Is that what you're going to give up? Because the rest of the world understands now very clearly who you are, and we understand who heroes are, and you're not one of them. So right now in Canada, the emotions and the commitment that we're feeling towards the people of Ukraine and for the people of our country, Donald, man, you brought us all together. So congratulations for that. But for what you've done to your nation, come on.

It'll take decades if ever the people can rise up out of the swamp that you've dragged it into, Donald. It's just, man, you're the art of the deal. Come on. In what world? Charlie Angus, Member of Parliament in Canada. Appreciate you as always. Thank you so much for having me. Great on the show.

People are watching back home. We stand in solidarity with the people of Canada. There's more of us in America than Trumpers, and I want everyone in Canada to know that. We're here in America fighting back against this authoritarian regime. But we know you got to go elbows up. We know that y'all got to do what you got to do. And we don't blame you for it. We don't blame you for it here. Elbows up. Okay, thanks so much.

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