Michigan Senate candidate Rogers breaks with Trump over Canada trade war
The Republican candidate released an ad saying Canada is not an enemy, a shift from his earlier support for tariffs.
Explainer
Republican Senate candidate Mike Rogers has broken with U.S. President Donald Trump by calling for an end to the trade war with Canada.
In a 30-second campaign ad posted on social media Wednesday, Rogers said people in Michigan “know that Canada is not our enemy.”
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“We need to end this tariff war now,” Rogers said in the ad, which shows him sitting at a bar holding a Labatt’s beer.
“As Michigan’s senator, I’ll bring both parties together to lower your prices. That’s job No. 1,” he said.
How did President Trump respond?
When asked about the ad at the White House later Wednesday, Trump said he saw it as Rogers saying Canada should make a deal.
“I viewed him as saying he thinks Canada should make a deal,” Trump said, before repeating his claims about Canada ripping off the United States.
Trump added Canada wants to make a deal but his administration is not satisfied.
“We don’t want them to make cars for us.... It’s a long story, but they’ve been ripping us off. Canada has been ripping us off for many, many years and they’re not going to rip us off anymore,” he said.
What has Rogers said about tariffs before?
The ad marks a shift in messaging for the former congressman.
In an interview with Fox News this summer, Rogers said Trump’s trade policy designed to “reindustrialize” the U.S. was “huge for us ... all of these things are really positive.”
He said Canada wants to sell hundreds of thousands of cars into Michigan and that should be “absolutely unacceptable” because those exports “undercut the people who build cars and car parts.”
“The Canadians have not been good partners on this,” he said.
In August, he cautioned that tariffs are “necessary, but are not a one-size-fits-all solution” in a campaign press release.
Rogers has long been closely associated with Trump. When the U.S. president endorsed Rogers earlier this year, the candidate said he was “thrilled” to receive it.
“Together, President Trump and I will unleash a great revival in the state of Michigan,” he said at the time of the endorsement.
How is the trade war affecting the Michigan race?
The president’s trade war with Canada has become a ballot issue in the close race between Rogers and Democrat candidate Abdul El-Sayed.
Michigan is one of the states hit hardest by the trade war between the two countries, due to the state’s automakers relying on integrated cross-border supply chains.
According to the Canadian government, Michigan exports $21.2 billion in goods to Canada annually, and imports $43.5 billion.
In response to Rogers’ Wednesday ad, El-Sayed said the Republican has supported Trump’s tariffs from the beginning.
“Must have had one too many of those Labatts, Mike,” El-Sayed said in a social media post, adding Rogers supported the tariff war “from the beginning” and is “flip-flopping now” because his poll numbers “are in freefall.”
“Donald is the reason we’re in a trade war. And he’s the reason you’re running,” he wrote.
Rogers is trailing his Democratic opponent in most public opinion surveys.
Only 26 per cent of Americans surveyed for a Politico poll late last month said levying tariffs on Canadian goods was the right thing to do.
Why is the Michigan Senate race significant?
The Michigan race is considered a toss-up and could prove critical to determining which party controls the Senate after the midterm elections next month.
Democrats would need to achieve a net gain of four seats to get the Senate majority.
Matthew Lebo, a political-science professor at Western University in London, Ont., said polls are showing a general shift towards Democrats compared to the 2024 election, and that has put many Senate races in play.
“Michigan is as close to a 50-50 state as there is, having voted since 2008 for Obama, Obama, Trump, Biden and Trump,” Lebo said in a text message.
Lebo added that Rogers is not an incumbent, so it’s harder to link him with all of Trump’s more contentious moves as president.
“He can try to paint himself as an independent-minded Republican who will break with Trump when it’s the right thing for Michiganders,” Lebo said.
The U.S. midterm elections are scheduled for Nov. 3.
With files from The Canadian Press, CityNews and CBC News