'Tension is a good thing,' Trump said
President Donald Trump and FIFA (Fédération Internationale de Football Association) president Gianni Infantino talk in the Oval Office of the White House after signing an executive order for a task force related to the FIFA World Cup, in Washington, D.C., on March 7, 2025. (Jim Watson/AFP)
The Trump administration this week imposed 25% tariffs on Canadian and Mexican goods but then on Thursday granted a one-month reprieve to both nations on goods that meet under a North American trade agreement.
Exemptions on the two biggest U.S. trading partners run out on April 2. Trump has also warned of imposing a global system of tit-for-tat tariffs on all U.S. trading partners.
When Trump initially declared tariffs against Mexico and Canada in early February, he ended up pushing them back by a month after negotiating with both countries to secure the northern and southern border.
Still, the tension from the incident continued to bleed over into sports during the NHL 4 Nations Face-Off exhibition tournament from Feb. 12 to 20. Canadian fans booed the U.S. national anthem while American fans booed the Canadian national anthem before several games.
It began Feb. 13, when Canadian fans in Montreal jeered the U.S. national anthem following President Donald Trump's recent threats to put tariffs on Canada while simultaneously proposing that Canada become America's 51st state.
Team United States forward Matthew Tkachuk (19) and Team Canada forward brandon Hagel (38) fight in the first period during a 4 Nations Face-Off ice hockey game at the Bell Centre. (Eric Bolte-Imagn Images)
The booing caused a stampede of brawls among Canadian and U.S. players during the first tournament meeting of the two clubs on Feb. 15, as the Americans emerged victorious, 3-1.
Canadian national anthem booing then returned at TD Garden in Boston in a 4 Nations game pitting Canada and Finland against each other.
The U.S. and Canada then faced off in the Feb. 20 final, with American fans at Boston booing the Canadian national anthem again this time, lighter in tone than before. The game was won by Canada 3-2 in overtime.
Since then, adversarial language between the two nations, including sports, has only worsened. NHL contests between Canada-based and U.S.-based teams have commonly included such pre-game national anthems of visiting players that they were booed.
WWE Elimination Chamber fans in Toronto booed "The Star-Spangled Banner" before last Saturday night's event. Star sports commentator Pat McAfee publicly chastised the Canadian fanbase for booing, and the nation in general, during the Peacock broadcast.
"It sucks that it's in the awful country of Canada that booed our national anthem to begin all this," McAfee yelled at the broadcast table.