'We stand with Canada': Americans who live here show solidarity amid Trump's threats

U.S. and Canada flags are seen on a transport truck trailer at the Pacific Highway Canada-U.S. border crossing in Surrey B.C., on Tuesday, March 4, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Ethan Cairns

Kimberly Waletich isn’t Canadian.

But when Prime Minister Justin Trudeau called on fellow citizens to “proudly wave our flag” on national flag day last month, she hung the Maple Leaf outside her Ottawa home in a show of solidarity as Canada’s economy and sovereignty faced an existential threat from her own country.

“We put out a flag just to let our neighbours, who we like very much, know … we stand with Canada,” the Virginia native said in an interview.

Since his return to the White House, U.S. President Donald Trump has not spared opportunities to attack Canada. He started a trade war with America’s closest ally by implementing tariffs on Canadian goods, and has said that he wants to use economic force to annex Canada and make it the “51st state.”

Canadians have responded with a mix of anger, frustration and national pride – feelings understood and shared by some Americans who now call this country their home.

“I’m feeling very embarrassed,” Waletich said. “I’m going to be honest. It’s really incredible, kind of dystopian, what is going on in the United States right now.”

Waletich said her family, who are now permanent residents of Canada, initially moved to Quebec because her husband got a job there in 2018, but Trump’s first presidency was another reason why they left the U.S.

She said her 12-year-old son identifies more as a Canadian and the family rooted for Canada in the 4 Nations Face-Off hockey tournament that saw Canadian fans booing the U.S. national anthem.

Waletich said she fully supports collective efforts to boycott U.S. products and buy made-in-Canada goods in response to Trump’s tariffs.

“We’ve also been making an effort to buy Canadian in stores and do what we can to support our adopted country,” she said.

More than a million Americans, including visitors on long-term visas and dual citizens, live in Canada, according to estimates from the Association of Americans Resident Overseas.

Those who spoke with The Canadian Press say they understand why anti-American sentiment is on the rise across the country.

Karen Morley, a U.S. air force veteran who now lives in Regina, said the anger is mostly directed toward the Trump administration but it is also being felt by the American community in Canada. But she doesn’t blame Canadians – even those who she said blocked her on social media for being an American.

Morley, who is originally from Philadelphia, moved to Canada in 2011 after marrying a Canadian.

She was diagnosed with cancer soon after and said she survived thanks to the Canadian health-care system. Even though she had to pay $300,000 for her surgeries, chemotherapy and other care as a non-Canadian, she said that was about a third of what she would have had to pay in the U.S. for treatment.

She said she found a welcoming community in Regina and was supported in starting her chocolate-making business. Every year in July, she and her husband hang the U.S. and Canadian flags side by side to show their love for both countries.

Trump’s policies harm Americans as much as Canadians, she said, adding that she understands why Canadians have been booing the U.S. anthem at sports events.

“Trying to say you’re going to take over a sovereign country and not expecting that kind of reaction is kind of ridiculous,” she said.

Other Americans say they are glad to see Canada standing its ground.

Gail Marlene Schwartz, a freelance writer and editor in Ottawa who is originally from New York, said she spent 12 years in Canada before moving back to the U.S., and then returned in September because of the political situation in her country.

She said she was “very heartened” by Canadians' response to Trump’s threats.

“I think, ironically, it seems like it serves to really unite Canadians,” said Schwartz, who is a dual citizen. “Both people and the government are kind of coming together in a way that, when I was here the last time, it didn’t. Canada didn’t feel so united, and I think that’s a really positive thing.”

While she normally wouldn’t “feel OK” about U.S. anthem booing, she said these are not normal times.

“Canadians need to express themselves, and … they’re responding to acts of aggression.”

Jake Donaldson, a family doctor who moved to Calgary three years ago, shares Schwartz’s view.

Donaldson, who is originally from Montana, said the threats against his adopted country are frightening and he thinks Canada’s reaction, which includes retaliatory tariffs, is justifiable.

“It seems quite appropriate for Canada to impose counter tariffs, and I think Canadian people to be really advocating for buying Canadian products is also an appropriate response,” he said, urging Canadians not to take their democracy for granted.

In Waletich’s view, the economic threats and uncertainty — combined with what she sees as the Trump administration’s isolationist policies — pose an opportunity for Canada.

“There’s a huge vacuum in the world that U.S. is creating ... in moral leadership,” she said. “This is a wonderful opportunity for Canada to really step forward on the world stage and be a leader.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 6, 2025.

Sharif Hassan, The Canadian Press