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Few items of clothing have come to exemplify American far-right nationalism in the 21st century as much as the red “Make America Great Again” hats worn and sold by Donald Trump. But this week, the beloved – and reviled – headwear appeared to have met its match.
Before a high-stakes meeting with Canadian leaders in preparation for American tariffs, the Ontario premier, Doug Ford, strode into the summit wearing a hat emblazoned with a defiant message: “CANADA IS NOT FOR SALE”.
Canadian leaders are still scrambling to come up with a response to the threat of a trade war with the country’s closest ally if Trump makes good on his promise to inflict punishing tariffs on all Canadian goods and services.
And in the depths of a national crisis, the novelty hat has emerged as an unlikely expression of unity.
For the hat’s creators, “it’s been a wild and surreal few days”.
Liam Mooney, who runs a design firm in Ottawa with his fiancee Emma Cochrane, said the hat came about as a direct rebuttal to a viral Fox news segment in which the host Jesse Watters taunted Ford about Trump’s threat to annex Canada.
“If I were a citizen of another country and I was a neighbour of the United States, I would consider it a privilege to be taken over by the United States of America,” Watters told the Ontario leader.
Mooney and Cochrane were “shocked” at the hostile interview and spent the next few hours coming up with the “creative rebuttal” to the Trumpian threats.
The result was a cap with a Canadian-designed typeface and a simple but firm message. “It was a small act of patriotism to respond to these big threats and this big bluster,” said Mooney.
Online sales grew steadily, but the momentum surged after Ford wore his cap to a meeting of regional leaders on Wednesday – and later posted a link to the online store.
Since then, the couple have sold more than 5,000 hats, raking in more than C$400,000 (US$270,0000. More than 150 have been purchased in the United States.
The Conservative Ontario leader’s appearance with the hat prompted praise from his political rivals in Canada, including the prime minister, Justin Trudeau, and the foreign minister, Mélanie Joly.
“I WANT THIS HAT!!!!!!!!” the country’s former Liberal environment minister Catherine McKenna posted on X. “And thank you Doug Ford for being a leader on #TeamCanada.”
Even the Manitoba premier, Wab Kinew – a progressive often at odds with Ford – quipped that he loved it: “Great hat, I hope they make that in an orange.”
(Mooney, keen to capitalize on the moment, said he had spent hours trying to ensure Kinew receives a hat that matches the colours of his leftwing New Democratic party.)
The threat of a devastating trade war has forced Canada’s political leaders to set aside policy and ideological rifts, with most projecting a unified front.
“Canadian pride is something we can really lean on right now. And there are few things that unite Canadians more, for better or for worse, than our neighbour to the south,” said Kinew after the premiers met with Trudeau.
But the need for a unified front has taken on fresh urgency after the rightwing premier of the oil-rich western province of Alberta appeared to go rogue, refusing to sign on to a joint communique from other leaders and the prime minister.
Danielle Smith did not join the Ottawa meeting in person, instead joining virtually; she was also absent from the press conference with Trudeau and the other premiers.
Canada remains the largest supplier of energy to the US, shipping roughly 60% of its crude oil – nearly all of which comes from Alberta. Federal ministers and provincial leaders including Ford have weighed blocking energy exports – including natural gas, oil and electricity – as a retaliatory measure. Federal ministers have also suggested Canada could impose tariffs on exports of critical minerals to the United States, including uranium, potash, germanium, zinc, nickel, copper and graphite.
Smith, whose provincial economy is tied to oil exports to the United States, has come out forcefully against the idea.
“Until these threats cease, Alberta will not be able to fully support the federal government’s plan in dealing with the threatened tariffs,” she wrote online. “Alberta will simply not agree to export tariffs on our energy or other products, nor do we support a ban on exports of these same products. We will take whatever actions are needed to protect the livelihoods of Albertans from such destructive federal policies.”
The position has divided Conservative leaders, with Ford, who oversees a C$1tn economy, expressing mounting frustration over Smith’s refusal to entertain the idea of halting energy exports.
“That’s her choice. I have a little different theory: protect your jurisdiction but country comes first,” he told reporters, warning “we cannot have division” in the country.
“You can’t let someone hit you over the head with a sledgehammer without hitting him back twice as hard.”
