Donald Trump has some thoughts about Canada's upcoming election

U.S. President Donald Trump often talks about Canada. Frequently disparagingly, and lately menacingly. But it's not often he opines on the country's internal politics.

He broke from that pattern in a just-published interview with a U.S. conservative writer who asked him about the country's upcoming election.

In that interview with The Spectator, Trump is asked whether Canada's Conservatives can still pull off a win in the next election, despite the tightening polls.

Writer Ben Domenech asks the president about those polls shifting amid comments Trump has been making about Canada, which, Domenech says, the governing Liberals have "leaned into."

Trump's reply? Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre needs to more fully embrace Trump.

"I think his biggest problem is he's not a MAGA guy, you know? I mean, he's really not. He's not a Trump guy at all," the U.S. president replies.

"Pierre, I just don't know. I don't like what he's saying about me. It's just not positive about me."

Trump is threatening to batter Canada's economy with a variety of tariffs and has repeatedly mused about pressuring it to become the 51st U.S. state. Like the Liberals, Poilievre promised he would retaliate with counter-tariffs.

Trump lamented that many people talk tough about him, then learn to regret it.

"They all make that mistake. You know. They think they're going to be the tough guy and they're going to knock out Trump, and they end up getting the hell beat out of 'em."

The president then swerved off topic to once again complain about how the 2020 election was stolen from him, a falsehood he has clung to even after having won a second term.

Says Freeland 'bad' for Canada

If Trump was lukewarm on the Conservative leader, he was positively frigid on one of the Liberal leadership candidates, Chrystia Freeland, with whom he has a well-documented history of hostility, dating back to the renegotiation of NAFTA, and her frequent criticism of him.

Trump took credit for her departure as finance minister. An impending cabinet shuffle late last year was what led to Freeland quitting cabinet altogether, precipitating a crisis that resulted in Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's own resignation.

Trump said he fumed to the prime minister about Freeland just days before her departure.

"She's terrible. I'll tell you what. I know her very well," Trump said of Freeland.

"[She] can only cause ill will for Canada. In fact, Governor Trudeau understood that. I call him 'governor.' Governor Trudeau understood that. And he actually fired her because of a meeting he had with me. I said, 'She is so bad. She's bad for the country.'"

He asked Domenech about the Liberal leadership race: "Who's going to get the nomination, do you think?"

Domenech said he didn't know, and called all the candidates "pretty nutty."

Poilievre, Freeland respond

Both Canadian politicians that Trump name-checked quickly responded to his comments on Friday.

"Mr. President, it is true. I am not MAGA. I am for Canada First. Always," Poilievre said in a social media post on Friday afternoon. "Canada has always been America's best friend & ally. But we will NEVER be the 51st state."

Freeland also referenced Trump's comments about her on social media earlier Friday.

"There's a reason Trump called me a 'whack.' There's a reason he complained about my negotiating skills. There's a reason Putin kicked me out of Russia, too," she wrote.

"I don't back down — and Trump and Putin know it."