Not surprisingly, administrative action during the early days of the new Trump presidency captured the business world’s attention, and the steady stream of global coverage reporting these moves dominated the media cycle. The key topic in early February has been the White House’s aggressive and wide-swinging decisions on tariffs, with Canada emerging as the focal point of these discussions.
The shocking announcement to impose a 25% tariff on Canadian imports ignited a groundswell of reaction from Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and other political and business leaders, resulting in a surging peak in media attention at the beginning of the month. Our media analysis team at Agility PR Solutions has the coverage breakdown here.
Key Tariff Conversations During the Study Period:
As the tariff news unfolded, Canada received the most media attention, mentioned in two-thirds (67%) of all conversations, and appearing in virtually the entirety of the media’s tariff discussion during the first two days of the month.
Coverage surged between January 31 and February 4, peaking on February 3, following President Trump’s initial announcement and Canada’s immediate retaliation of imposing matching tariffs on U.S. goods. This momentum continued as Trump later paused the tariffs on Canada, which resulted in another spike in media attention. The pattern is illustrated in the timeline and chart below.
Here’s a closer look at the coverage pattern, and notable dates of media activity:
- January 6: Canada warns it will impose counter-tariffs if the U.S. proceeds with its tariff plans.
- January 20: Trump’s tariff threats create uncertainty for Canadian businesses, but the President signals no immediate action, providing temporary relief.
- January 27: Trump imposes tariffs on Colombia, raising concerns about potential trade actions against Canada.
- January 30: Trump announces possible tariffs on Canada, Mexico, and China, with a decision expected by February 1.
- February 1: The U.S. officially imposes a 25% tariff on Canadian imports, with a reduced 10% duty for energy products. Canada responds with a $30 billion retaliation package, including 25% tariffs on U.S. goods including beverages and cosmetics, with further action planned.
- February 3: A temporary Tariff Pause Agreement is reached, delaying U.S. tariffs for 30 days while negotiations continue. Canada suspends its retaliatory measures during this period.
- February 10: Trump announces a 25% tariff on all steel and aluminum imports, including those from Canada and Mexico, effective March 4.
Who’s Making the Most Noise About Tariffs?
Comments in media articles about the tariffs have included input from a variety of political and business figures, but Canadian PM Justin Trudeau has by far had the strongest voice in media coverage, accounting for nearly one-third (31%) of all sources cited. Following distantly has been commentary from other Canadian political leaders and U.S. business personalities, as detailed in the statistics below.
Tariff Coverage: Global Media Attention Breakdown
Canada was the focal point of tariff coverage, but news of tariffs in Canada has generated media attention around the world, with news outlets in Australia, India, Brazil and the UK producing the most significant amount of mentions outside of the U.S. and Canada.
The tariff news, of course, impacted the economies of several other countries, with implications for Mexico and China following Canada in the amount of media attention. India, Colombia and the European continent were also tariff topics, but accounted for far less coverage, as the graph below shows.
Tariff Coverage Sentiment is Largely Negative
Trump’s declaration elicited a strong and predominantly negative response from the Canadian public. A significant majority of Canadians viewed these tariffs as detrimental to the nation’s economy and its relationship with the United States, this tone of which accounting for approximately 25% of the Canadian conversation. Overall, these developments have not only strained economic ties, but have also led to a surge in Canadian nationalism and a collective resolve to support domestic industries and products.
Key Terms in Tariff Coverage
This tone is reflected in the most used words and phrases from our coverage analysis, as depicted in this image:
As you know, this news is continuing to develop, and our media analysis team will continue to track the news coverage, so stay tuned!
Methodology: The report is based on online news media across the globe tracking any tariff-related coverage initiated by US President Donald Trump. All data presented here pertains specifically to Canada /US tariff conversations, except the overall trend and top countries, which is based on all tariff-related coverage. This research was conducted by Agility PR Solutions’ team of media analysis experts.
