Making fun of Trump backfired on premier, Tories say

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This article was published 12/03/2025 (235 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Premier Wab Kinew has been scolded by the Tories for mocking U.S. President Donald Trump in a social media post that they say generated negative publicity for Manitoba in a New York City tabloid.

“Serious premiers like the premier of Ontario (Doug Ford) and the premier of Nova Scotia (Tim Houston) are standing up for all Canadians against U.S. Trump tariff threats,” said Wayne Ewasko, interim PC leader, during question period Wednesday.

He said Houston advanced provincial trade reform while Ford was given a meeting with U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick today.

“Manitoba’s Premier? Why, he’s mocking President Trump on his TikTok for social media clicks and getting no attention from the U.S. decision-makers who matter,” Ewasko charged.

Kinew posted video of himself signing a directive to remove U.S. booze from Liquor Marts in which he mimicked Trump signing presidential orders.

“Can the premier explain how he believes mocking President Trump will get us a meeting with Mr. Lutnick and a free trade deal for Manitoba workers and businesses?” the Tory leader asked.

Kinew countered by saying the PCs should rally around the flag rather than sow division, and he mocked Trump again, in a subtle way.

“You know what we did? Hang up a massive Canadian flag.” The giant maple leaf flag was erected on the front of the Manitoba Legislative Building on March 4 when Trump first imposed 25 per cent tariffs on Canada and Kinew signed the directive.

A wonderful, beautiful order pulling American booze off the shelves in Manitoba Liquor Marts. pic.twitter.com/bDtLap2Lnd

— Wab Kinew (@WabKinew) March 5, 2025

“It was a thing of beauty,” Kinew told the chamber, “a very beautiful, wonderful, amazing flag, that we were all happy to see outside of the building here.”

Kinew said the PCs haven’t gathered in front of the Canadian flag.

“Now you see the evidence why, today. They’re so tender-footed around offending Mr. President Trump they can’t even bear to offend him.”

Ewasko said Kinew gave an interview to the New York Post for an article that referred to the premier as “an ex-con rapper turned Canadian politician playing tough guy in the trade war with us mocking President Trump.”

The headline on the March 8 story “Rapper turned Canadian politician mocks Trump with booze ban” has a link to the video Kinew posted on March 4. He’s seated at his desk and flanked by the NDP caucus. “This order, it’s a wonderful order, it’s a beautiful order,” Kinew says.

The story quotes Kinew as saying “Canadians, we got a sense of humour, too.”

“If he wants to make jokes about the 51st state, we’re going to chirp back too,” he said about Trump.

After question period, Kinew was not made available to the media. Earlier in the day, he met with fellow premiers virtually to discuss Canada’s approach to the escalating trade war.

The PCs also went after the premier during question period for door-knocking in B.C. with Premier David Eby when the premiers met there in September during the provincial election.

Ewasko said Kinew expensed the $1,514 trip to Vancouver and accused him of campaigning for the B.C. NDP on the Manitoba taxpayers’ dime. He asked him to apologize and pay it back.

Kinew said he was there to meet with Eby to discuss B.C.’s approach to pharmacare in which hormone replacement therapy coverage was extended to menopausal women. He called it “an important investment in affordability.”

carol.sanders@freepress.mb.ca