Obama criticizes Trump tariffs on Canada at Detroit rally
Former president jokingly called Canada a 'well-known evil empire' while discussing trade.
AI-assisted coverage comparison, editor-supervised · How this was made

Obama criticizes Trump tariffs on Canada at Detroit rally
Photograph: City News (embedded from source)
What this story says
- Former President Barack Obama criticized U.S. President Donald Trump's tariffs on Canadian goods at a rally in Detroit, Michigan.
- Obama referred to Canada as a 'well-known evil empire' and mentioned maple syrup and Martin Short in a joking manner.
- The former president stated that Trump's tariffs have increased production costs for automakers due to integrated supply chains.
- Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney had previously imposed counter-tariffs after Trump established tariffs on Canadian goods.
Who covered it
Percentages are shares of the 22 outlets carrying a published leaning rating. 1 of the 23 outlets we know ran this story carry no rating and are not counted in them. Coverage measured .
Trust
42/100
Craft
59/100
Hype
41/100
23 sources · methodology
Thin on the right so far
None of the 22 outlets with a published leaning rating that ran this story are rated right.
This story is still being watched, so it is a count and not yet a finding. Coverage keeps arriving for hours after an event, and a side that has published nothing this morning may publish by tonight. If it is still true when we stop checking, we will say so plainly.
Former President Barack Obama criticized U.S. President Donald Trump's tariffs on Canadian goods during a rally in Detroit, Michigan. Obama referred to Canada as a 'well-known evil empire' and mentioned maple syrup and Martin Short in a joking manner. He stated that Trump's tariffs have increased production costs for automakers due to integrated supply chains. Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney had previously imposed counter-tariffs after Trump established tariffs on Canadian goods. Trump has stated he plans to lift some tariffs and add new ones on Canadian products.
Disagreement on rally location
City News, The Hamilton Spectator, Castanet, CFJC Today Kamloops, meadowlakeNOW, Narcity, Winnipeg Free Press, The Toronto Star, Rocky Mountain Outlook, Coast Reporter, Orillia Matters, Newmarket Today, Thorold Today, Bowen Island Undercurrent, ElliotLakeToday.com, Medicine Hat News, Timmins Today, and thealbertan.com reported that the rally took place in Detroit, Michigan. CBC News reported the rally was in Cleveland, Ohio. CNN stated the rally was in Detroit, Michigan, in support of Abdul El-Sayed. TVA Nouvelles stated Canadians received praise from Obama on Saturday, without specifying a location. Radio-Canada stated Obama criticized Trump's pricing policy at democratic rallies in Ohio and Michigan.
What the coverage left out
None of the 23 reports mentioned the specific percentage of tariffs Trump initially established on Canadian goods, nor did they detail the specific new products Trump plans to add tariffs to, beyond mentioning Canadian garbage and sewage in one report.
Still developing. We have re-checked which outlets are covering this 3 times, most recently on 25 Oct 2026, 17:30, and will add the sides that appear.
How other outlets pictured it
Which photograph to run is each newsroom’s own choice. The leaning beside a name is that outlet’s published rating, not a claim that the pictures divide along it. Every picture is shown from the outlet’s own server and links to the article it ran in.
How each side covered it
Our own reading of the reporting listed below, written from the outlets’ articles rather than quoted from them. The reasoning is set out on our methodology page.
Left
15 rated outlets
- Fifteen left-rated reports led on former President Barack Obama mocking U.S. President Donald Trump's tariff war with Canada. These reports highlighted Obama's joking reference to Canada as a 'well-known evil empire' and his mention of maple syrup and Martin Short. Several of these reports also noted Obama's criticism of Trump's tariff policy, stating that it has negatively affected U.S. consumers and increased production costs for automakers due to integrated supply chains. CBC News included details on Trump's past comments about Canada and former prime minister Justin Trudeau, as well as mentioning Canadian Trade Minister Dominic LeBlanc. TVA Nouvelles stated that Canadians received praise from Obama after months of criticism from Trump.
Centre
7 rated outlets
- Seven centre-rated reports focused on former President Barack Obama's criticism of U.S. President Donald Trump's tariffs on Canadian goods during a rally. These reports highlighted Obama's joking reference to Canada as a 'well-known evil empire' and his mention of maple syrup and Martin Short. They also noted Obama's statement that the tariffs have increased production costs for automakers due to integrated supply chains. Several of these reports mentioned that Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney imposed counter-tariffs after Trump established tariffs on Canadian goods, and that Trump plans to lift some tariffs while adding new ones.
Right
0 rated outlets
No outlet rated right has run this story so far. We are still checking, and will say plainly if that does not change.
Questions about this coverage
- How did the left and right cover Obama criticizes Trump tariffs on Canada at Detroit rally?
- Of the 22 outlets on this story carrying a published leaning rating, 68% are rated left, 32% are rated centre, 0% are rated right. Those percentages are shares of the rated outlets, not of every outlet that ran it, which was 23. The sections above set out what each side emphasised, in its own terms.
- Is Obama criticizes Trump tariffs on Canada at Detroit rally left or right?
- Neither side dominates it. Of the 22 rated outlets on this story, 68% are rated left, 32% are rated centre, 0% are rated right, and no side holds the 70% this site would want before calling a field one-sided. A story is not left or right in any case; the outlets that carried it are what carry ratings.
- Is the coverage of Obama criticizes Trump tariffs on Canada at Detroit rally biased?
- Obama criticizes Trump tariffs on Canada at Detroit rally is one event reported by 23 outlets, and this page does not rate the story as biased or unbiased. What it publishes is the spread: which outlets ran it, where named rating organisations place each of them on the spectrum, and what each side chose to lead with. A leaning rating describes an outlet's record over time, not this article, and the two should not be run together.
- Which side is not reporting Obama criticizes Trump tariffs on Canada at Detroit rally?
- When we first saw this story, outlets rated right had barely covered it. Coverage accretes for hours after an event, so that is where to look rather than a verdict — the split above is the current count, and it is the one to read.
- Which outlets covered Obama criticizes Trump tariffs on Canada at Detroit rally?
- 23 that we know of, every one of them listed further up this page with a link to its own report and to what we hold on the publisher. Nothing here is a summary of somebody else's summary: the outlets are named so the original reporting can be read.
- Where did Barack Obama criticize Donald Trump's tariffs?
- Former President Barack Obama criticized U.S. President Donald Trump's tariffs on Canadian goods during a rally in Detroit, Michigan. Some reports also mentioned a rally in Cleveland, Ohio, or rallies in both locations.
- What did Barack Obama say about Canada?
- Barack Obama jokingly referred to Canada as a 'well-known evil empire' while criticizing Donald Trump's tariffs. He also mentioned maple syrup and Martin Short in his remarks, and described Canadians as 'nice people' and 'friendly neighbours'.
- What was the impact of the tariffs mentioned?
- Obama stated that Trump's tariffs have increased production costs for automakers due to integrated supply chains. This has had a negative effect on U.S. consumers who bear the brunt of rising costs.
- What actions did Canada take regarding the tariffs?
- Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney imposed dollar-for-dollar counter-tariffs in September after Trump established tariffs on Canadian goods. Trump has stated he plans to lift some tariffs and add new ones.
Read it at the source
23 outlets, grouped by the leaning a published rating gives them. Every headline links to the original; an underlined outlet name opens our profile of that publisher.
Left
15- ‘Well-known evil empire’: Barack Obama mocks President Trump’s tariff war with Canada (opens The Hamilton Spectator in a new tab)
The Hamilton Spectator — is The Hamilton Spectator biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Obama jokes about the ‘well-known evil empire, Canada’ (opens CNN in a new tab)
- "They're Adorable People": Obama Defends Canada Against Trump (opens TVA Nouvelles in a new tab)
TVA Nouvelles — is TVA Nouvelles biased? Our profile of this outlet
- 'Well-known evil empire': Barack Obama mocks President Trump's tariff war with Canada (opens thealbertan.com in a new tab)
thealbertan.com — is thealbertan.com biased? Our profile of this outlet
- 'Well-known evil empire': Barack Obama mocks President Trump's tariff war with Canada (opens Timmins Today in a new tab)
Timmins Today — is Timmins Today biased? Our profile of this outlet
- 'Well-known evil empire': Barack Obama mocks President Trump's tariff war with Canada (opens ElliotLakeToday.com in a new tab)
ElliotLakeToday.com — is ElliotLakeToday.com biased? Our profile of this outlet
- 'Well-known evil empire': Barack Obama mocks President Trump's tariff war with Canada (opens Bowen Island Undercurrent in a new tab)
Bowen Island Undercurrent — is Bowen Island Undercurrent biased? Our profile of this outlet
- 'Well-known evil empire': Barack Obama mocks President Trump's tariff war with Canada (opens Thorold Today in a new tab)
Thorold Today — is Thorold Today biased? Our profile of this outlet
Show 7 more
- 'Well-known evil empire': Barack Obama mocks President Trump's tariff war with Canada (opens Newmarket Today in a new tab)
Newmarket Today — is Newmarket Today biased? Our profile of this outlet
- 'Well-known evil empire': Barack Obama mocks President Trump's tariff war with Canada (opens Orillia Matters in a new tab)
Orillia Matters — is Orillia Matters biased? Our profile of this outlet
- 'Well-known evil empire': Barack Obama mocks President Trump's tariff war with Canada (opens Coast Reporter in a new tab)
Coast Reporter — is Coast Reporter biased? Our profile of this outlet
- 'Well-known evil empire': Barack Obama mocks President Trump's tariff war with Canada (opens Rocky Mountain Outlook in a new tab)
Rocky Mountain Outlook — is Rocky Mountain Outlook biased? Our profile of this outlet
- ‘Well-known evil empire’: Barack Obama mocks President Trump’s tariff war with Canada (opens The Toronto Star in a new tab)
The Toronto Star — is The Toronto Star biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Obama Mocks Tariffs Against Canada (opens Radio-Canada in a new tab)
Radio-Canada — is Radio-Canada biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Obama lampoons Trump for starting trade war with 'evil empire' Canada (opens CBC News in a new tab)
Centre
7- 'Well-known evil empire': Barack Obama mocks President Trump's tariff war with Canada (opens Castanet in a new tab)
- ‘Well-known evil empire’: Barack Obama mocks President Trump’s tariff war with Canada (opens CFJC Today Kamloops in a new tab)
CFJC Today Kamloops — is CFJC Today Kamloops biased? Our profile of this outlet
- ‘Well-known evil empire’: Barack Obama mocks President Trump’s tariff war with Canada (opens meadowlakeNOW in a new tab)
meadowlakeNOW — is meadowlakeNOW biased? Our profile of this outlet
- 'Well-known evil empire': Barack Obama mocks President Trump's tariff war with Canada (opens Narcity in a new tab)
- 'Well-known evil empire': Barack Obama mocks President Trump's tariff war with Canada (opens Medicine Hat News in a new tab)
Medicine Hat News — is Medicine Hat News biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Barack Obama mocks President Trump's tariff war with Canada (opens City News in a new tab)
- 'Well-known evil empire': Barack Obama mocks President Trump's tariff war with Canada (opens Winnipeg Free Press in a new tab)
Winnipeg Free Press — is Winnipeg Free Press biased? Our profile of this outlet
Right
0No outlet in this group ran the story.
Not rated
1How did this read?
About the coverage, not about the story. We do not ask whether you agree with what happened — we have no honest use for that answer.


