White House Claims Canada and Mexico “Bent the Knee” But Trump ACTUALLY Got Rolled

Republicans will just have to take the "L" on this one and regroup
For weeks, Trump rattled his saber, claiming he would impose 25% tariffs on Canadian and Mexican goods to force them into action. But when the stock market reacted with an immediate plunge, he panicked. His attempt to play hardball ended in total humiliation. He didn’t just blink—he folded, packed up the cards, and walked away whistling like he won the pot.

Hours after President Donald Trump announced a 30-day delay on tariffs against Canada and Mexico, his press secretary, Karoline Leavitt, declared that both countries had “bent the knee.” The reality? They didn’t bend, kneel, or even flinch—because they didn’t actually give Trump anything he wasn’t already getting.

CNN’s Catherine Rampell summed it up perfectly: “Trump got rolled by both of these countries, and no one, least of all Trump, seems to have realized it.” Mexico’s agreement to send 10,000 troops to its northern border? They already had 15,000 troops stationed there for years. Canada’s promise to invest $1.3 billion in border security? That funding was announced last year. Trump’s “tough negotiations” resulted in zero new concessions.


Trump’s Tariff Bluff Collapses Under Scrutiny

For weeks, Trump rattled his saber, claiming he would impose 25% tariffs on Canadian and Mexican goods to force them into action. But when the stock market reacted with an immediate plunge, he panicked. His attempt to play hardball ended in total humiliation. He didn’t just blink—he folded, packed up the cards, and walked away whistling like he won the pot.

Even some Republicans struggled to spin this as a win. CNN contributor Scott Jennings, an ardent Trump defender, got cornered into admitting the truth: Canada and Mexico simply agreed to keep doing what they were already doing. Jennings, looking visibly uncomfortable, snapped back, “I understand you’re the minister of propaganda tonight, but you don’t have to be.” That’s how obvious the loss was—it forced his own allies into damage control mode.


Trump’s Knife-to-a-Gunfight Strategy Backfires

Instead of securing meaningful trade victories, Trump entered this fight grossly unprepared. He wielded tariffs like a weapon, thinking he could strong-arm two of America’s biggest trading partners into making fresh concessions. Instead, he brought a knife to a gunfight and got laughed out of the room.

While Canada and Mexico walked away unscathed, China wasted no time retaliating. Unlike America’s northern and southern neighbors, Beijing didn’t even entertain the idea of a temporary truce. It slapped a range of tariffs on U.S. goods—including coal, oil, and agricultural equipment—immediately escalating the trade war.

The big question now is: What happens in 30 days? Trump is already out of leverage. He used tariffs as a blunt instrument, got played, and now has to decide whether he wants to take another embarrassing loss or double down on a fight he can’t win. Either way, this so-called “victory” is nothing more than another example of Trump negotiating with himself—and losing.

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