Jon McComb: Trade spat shows how Trump’s lapdogs will say anything to appease their boss

You would think a U.S. president who is hours away from sitting down for negotiations with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and perhaps bring an end to the Korean War and maybe making some headway on the denuclearization of the Koreas would be completely focused on that, but not Donald Trump.

He tweeted a few hours ago about the G7 meeting.

“Fair trade is now to be called fool trade,” according to Trump.

The attacks on Justin Trudeau continued on Sunday talk shows over the weekend.

READ MORE: Rare show of solidarity on Parliament Hill as Trump trade fallout continues

So what exactly did Trudeau say?

Well, what he said over the weekend is exactly what he’s been saying since the U.S.-imposed tariffs on aluminum and steel. He says Canada won’t be pushed around over the tariffs and we are reasonable people. We negotiate in good faith but we won’t be pushed around.

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Seems like a pretty standard, fair political rhetoric, but somehow Trump has taken this as a stab in the back. Now his advisers have taken to the TV talk show circuit to mimic what their leader has said.

This is what trade adviser Peter Navarro said and this is what he had to say about Trudeau:

“There’s a special place in hell for any foreign leader that engages in bad faith diplomacy with President Donald J. Trump and then tries to stab him in the back on the way out the door.”

Have you ever heard in your life a bigger load of crap from an American trade official?

WATCH: Trump takes more swipes at Canada

Liberals say they will ‘always support Canadian auto workers’ in the face of Trump’s threats

01:09

Liberals say they will ‘always support Canadian auto workers’ in the face of Trump’s threats

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Question period begins with rare standing ovation from all parties in response to Trump attacks

02:12

Could Trudeau/Trump spat could hurt Canada/US relations for years to come?

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Former Trump deputy says Canada will ‘regret’ angering President Donald Trump

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#ThanksCanada: Americans pay tribute to Canada amid Trump attacks on Trudeau

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Robert De Niro apologizes to Canadians for Trump’s ‘idiotic behaviour’

05:12

The Panel: How should Canada respond to Trump?

READ MORE: Timeline of Donald Trump’s war of words (and trade) with Justin Trudeau

What Navarro is saying is, oh well, Trump did everyone a favour by coming to Quebec and the G7.

I guess he also did us a favour by imposing steel and aluminum tariffs. Do you see the attitude of this administration? Do you get now that if you criticize and oppose Trump, somehow that is not allowed, that you cannot stand up for yourself.

All he did was stand up for his country as any leader would have and should have. And yet when you listen to Navarro it sounds like Canada has broken diplomatic relations with the U.S. and declared war on the place.

And it’s this over-the-top BS rhetoric that has become commonplace within the Trump administration and Navarro is one of those people who will say anything to appease his boss. He’s a lapdog for Donald Trump.

Another one is Larry Kudlow. He’s the chief economic adviser to the president. What was he before that? He was a TV business show host.

He went rogue, according to Kudlow, whoever he is. Now what Kudlow says is that Canada as a middle power and Justin Trudeau somehow has the ability to knock the feet from under Donald Trump and put the talks with North Korean a different kind of light than how they’d normally be by simply standing up to Canada and saying that these tariffs are unfair.

This is what Larry Kudlow believes, that somehow Trudeau, by sticking up for his own country, has undermined the negotiations between Trump and Kim. That is how weak, apparently; and thin-skinned, apparently; that is how tenuous, apparently the U.S. president is as he approaches the talks with North Korea.

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It’s all Trudeau’s fault because Trudeau had the temerity to stand up for his own country to the bully Trump and somehow this might throw Trump off his game as he heads to Singapore?

You have got to be joking.

Those two soundbites from Kudlow and Navarro — combined about three minutes in length — are the biggest three minutes of bulls–t I have heard yet out of this administration. Absolute and total BS, and anyone who is stupid enough to buy that stuff shouldn’t be allowed out at dark.

Is Donald Trump so unprepared for his talks with North Korea that the trade dispute with Canada is going to throw him off his highly vaunted game?

Give me a break.