What Chrystia Freeland said about Justin Trudeau on ‘Real Time with Bill Maher’

Liberal Party of Canada leadership candidate Chrystia Freeland speaks during the English-language Liberal Leadership debate in Montreal on Tuesday, Feb. 25, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Christinne Muschi

Chrystia Freeland joined the growing ranks of high-profile Canadian politicians taking to U.S. airwaves to spread their message to Canadian and American viewers since the election of U.S. President Donald Trump.

On Friday night, Freeland took swings at Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau while making her pitch to be Canada’s next prime minister on the HBO show “Real Time With Bill Maher.”

Freeland told comedian Maher that Canadians are looking for a prime minister who can stand up to Trump, and she will fight for Canada and win.

“We started off being sad because Americans, you’re our friends, you’re our neighbours and it was just a shock for Canadians,” Freeland explained about how Canada reacted at first to Trump’s aggressive tone on Canada.

“But then Canadians got really angry because the president of the United States is saying repeatedly that he wants to use economic coercion to force us to become the 51st state.”

The federal Liberal party leadership candidate called Poilievre “maple syrup MAGA,” using an acronym for the “Make America Great Again” slogan popular with Trump and his supporters.

When asked about Trudeau, she said Liberals lose when the public feels the party is focused on “virtue signalling” and “identity politics.”

Mark Carney, who is running against Freeland for the Liberal leadership, appeared on “The Daily Show with Jon Stewart” in January, and Trudeau was a guest on “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert” in September, months before he announced he would step down as prime minister when a new Liberal leader is chosen.

Canadian premiers have also been making the rounds on U.S. news channels to make the case against tariffs, including Alberta’s Danielle Smith and Ontario’s Doug Ford.

The audience for the premiers making a case against tariffs is clear -- it’s U.S. voters and politicians who might influence Trump. But who are Liberal leadership candidates speaking to when they appear on U.S. TV?

Chaldeans Mensah, a political science professor at MacEwan University in Edmonton, said such appearances reflect an alignment in recent years of progressive forces in the two countries on a range of issues, including climate change and diversity, equity and inclusion.

“Appearance on U.S. media, which have a wide following in Canada, gives these progressive politicians the street cred back home and amplifies their voices to political audiences back home,” Mensah said in an email.

However, Mensah cautioned that using U.S. media to elevate Liberal leadership campaigns has risks, noting there has been diminishing political support for progressive policies and media under President Trump.

At one point Maher suggested Trump has saved Freeland and the Liberal party, noting the American president’s threats have rejuvenated the party’s popularity in polls.

“I think that the election now, the ballot question in the Liberal leadership race and the general election is, who can stand up for Canada and who can fight for Canada,” Freeland replied.

“I’m saying to Canadians, I can fight for you and I can win.”

Maher said at the conclusion of the interview, “You’ve got my vote that I can’t give you.”

Mensah, meanwhile, had another note of caution for Canadians campaigning on American TV.

“The use of U.S. TV, with personalities with narrow knowledge of the nuances of Canadian politics, leaves the Liberal candidates open to the charge of avoiding tough media scrutiny back home in favour of more friendly-media spaces in the U.S.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 1, 2025.