Dear reader,
Canada and the United States once enjoyed a steady, committed relationship—the geopolitical equivalent of a happily married couple. But, since Donald Trump’s second ascent to the Oval Office, the relationship has turned bitter. The president’s deluge of tariff and annexation threats have led to countless heated phone calls and angry ultimatums. How did a once relatively blissful dynamic devolve into something so toxic?
One theory is that, like many a counselling-bound pair, one partner is still bitter over decades-old grievances. In 2012, Trump signed on to be the face of a gaudy luxury hotel at Bay and Adelaide. It was meant to be a tribute to excess and a linchpin in the then-burgeoning business district—until dozens of investors claimed that they’d been over-sold on their investments, which were quickly becoming money pits.
In 2016, the business went bust, and a year later, the building’s new owners scrubbed Trump’s name from the marquee. Perhaps, however absurdly, the president feels he has a score to settle with the city he couldn’t conquer. For a look into the multimillion-dollar lawsuit that helped drive Trump out of Toronto, we’re revisiting Leah McLaren’s 2013 feature, “Trumped.”
For more great long-reads from Toronto Life, subscribe to our print edition here.
