U.S. blames Canada for election meddling while Trump backs six foreign leaders

The U.S. Embassy in Ottawa released a fact sheet on Wednesday detailing specific Canadian actions that it says could amount to interference in the U.S. midterm elections. The document lists four instances of potential meddling. These include Liberal MP Anthony Housefather canvassing for a Florida Democrat during a primary vote earlier this year. It also cites comments by Industry Minister Mélanie Joly regarding counter-tariff strategies, some dating back to March 2025. The list further includes an Ontario government advertisement for Ronald Reagan that aired in the U.S. last year and a federal billboard campaign launched in early 2025.

The embassy issued the report after Prime Minister Mark Carney and other officials dismissed previous warnings about Canadian involvement in the November 3 vote. Carney told reporters in Istanbul on Friday that the claims have no merit. He expressed disappointment that Ambassador Pete Hoekstra sees it as his role to make such suggestions. The embassy declined to comment on whether a similar endorsement from a Canadian official would also constitute interference.

President Donald Trump has a public record of weighing in on foreign elections since returning to the White House in early 2025. He has endorsed presidential or prime ministerial candidates in Poland, Honduras, Colombia, and Japan. Most recently, he voiced support for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ahead of an election scheduled for Tuesday. The president also backed Viktor Orbán during a failed re-election bid in Hungary, a campaign that featured a rally appearance by Vice President JD Vance in Budapest. Trump additionally suggested that financial support for Argentina would depend on the election results of President Javier Milei’s party.

Daniel Drezner, a professor of international politics at Tufts University, described the situation as the pot calling the kettle black. He noted that the administration has a long history of intervening directly in the elections of official allies. Former U.S. Ambassador to Canada James Blanchard told Rosemary Barton Live that the administration lacks credibility given Trump’s track record. Blanchard said he would take the accusation seriously from the Reagan, Bush, Obama, or Clinton administrations, but not from the current one.

Trump is not the first U.S. politician to comment on Canadian electoral politics. Former President Barack Obama endorsed Justin Trudeau in 2019 and 2021, though he was no longer in office at the time. Senator Bernie Sanders supported Jagmeet Singh during the 2021 campaign. Drezner argued that these examples differ from Trump’s actions because neither Obama nor Sanders were part of the executive branch when they made their endorsements. He stated that heads of state typically avoid campaigning overtly for one side to maintain flexibility in future business relationships.

U.S. officials have also shown interest in recent political developments in Alberta. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said in January that Alberta would be a natural partner for the U.S. while discussing a potential separation referendum. The Globe and Mail reported that Republican political operatives were in Alberta earlier this year to assist the separatist campaign. CBC News previously reported that Alberta separatists attended meetings in U.S. State Department offices in Washington, D.C., last year.

The trade war has become a pressure point for Republican candidates in border states. Senator Susan Collins of Maine, who has represented the state since 1997, said on Friday that she secured some exemptions to tariffs. She pledged to continue working with administration officials to seek additional relief and a broader trade agreement. In Michigan, Republican Senate candidate Mike Rogers released a 30-second ad earlier this month criticizing the tariff war. He stated that Canada is not an enemy and that the conflict needs to end. Carney said on Friday that he does not see the administration blaming Canada for poor midterm results or imposing more tariffs.