Trump’s constant Canada-bashing may be changing Republican views

WASHINGTON — No one is shocked now when U.S. President Donald Trump calls Canada the “51st state” or refers to Prime Minister Mark Carney as a “governor.”

But Trump’s habit of occasionally targeting Canada with crude insults has become much more common among rank-and-file Republicans in recent weeks.

Professor of rhetoric at the University of Kansas Robert C. Rowland says that as Trump watches his poll numbers dragged down by controversial policies and an unpopular war with Iran, he searches for scapegoats — and often lands on Canada.

That’s led some of the president’s most devoted followers — including some in Congress — to express more negative views of Canada publicly.