Ontario Election
ANALYSIS: How Doug Ford broke from Donald Trump
Once an admirer of the U.S. president, Ford is leading the charge against him in a costly trade war
Written by Steve Paikin
Feb 3, 2025
doug ford wears a toque
Ford’s turn away from Trump is on public display amid new tariffs. (CP/Chris Young)
Early in Doug Ford’s first term as premier, he made no secret of admiring Donald Trump’s governing style and brand of populism.
Trump was in his first term as U.S. president and the two men had so much in common. They both enjoyed bullying reporters who dared ask tough questions. Trump famously called the media “the enemy of the people.” Ford called his least favourite reporters “a bunch of liars” who simply “want blood.”
Trump has been the most important Republican in the United States for a decade. Ford once said: “God bless the president and don’t get me wrong — full disclosure: I’m a big Republican.”
During Ford’s first trip to the U.S. as premier, he was interviewed by an American journalist, during which time he repeated his praise of Trump and referred to the Democrats as a bunch of socialists.
Trump and Ford also have a tragic connection: they both lost a brother, and both of those brothers had an addiction to alcohol. Trump’s brother Fred died in 1981 at age 42 from a heart attack brought on in part by alcohol abuse. Ford’s brother Rob, the former mayor of Toronto, died in 2016 at age 46 from a rare form of cancer. However, his time in politics was frequently marked by incidents of public drunkenness and drug addiction. Rob Ford also spent time in a drug rehabilitation facility during his mayoralty.
