Trump’s map stunt was ‘the act of a juvenile,’ says border mayor

The mayor of Fort Frances says he and his town “welcome our American friends and neighbours,” but recent comments by Trump “should cause everyone concern.”

FORT FRANCES — Mayor Andrew Hallikas wants to make it clear he likes his cross-border neighbours in International Falls, Minn., but he doesn’t care for their country’s head of state.

That, in a nutshell, was what the Fort Frances mayor had to say when Newswatch asked him for his thoughts on recent actions and statements by U.S. President Donald Trump.

“Fort Frances is a border community,” Hallikas said, “and our sister city, International Falls, is comprised of our friends, our neighbours, our relatives.

“And so while I may have and likely will have some critical remarks about the national leaders of the United States, I have no animosity whatsoever to American citizens, nor do the residents of Fort Frances.

“We welcome our American friends and neighbours, and we feel welcome when we visit International Falls. We’ve been friends for over 100 years, and that’s not going to change.

“And when this crisis that President Trump has caused is over, we’re still going to be friends with our neighbours in International Falls.”

Among other things, Trump recently said in Davos, Switzerland, that Canada “should be grateful” as “Canada lives because of the United States.” He also posted on his Truth Social platform a map with the U.S. flag over Canada and Greenland, which he has said he wants to take control of.

The president’s comments “caused me concern,” Hallikas said Wednesday. “They should cause everyone concern — and not just Canadians, Americans as well.”

The map post “was the act of a juvenile. That’s something a grade school kid would do,” he said.

“It’s completely disrespectful. You don’t expect a national leader to pull a stunt like that.

“It was distasteful. It was graceless. It was classless.”

Trump’s remarks are often “unhinged,” the mayor said.

“They’re often illogical. They’re usually untrue. And he has by doing that diminished the office of the president.”

By contrast, Hallikas said, Prime Minister Mark Carney’s address to the World Economic Forum in Davos “shows that he’s the leader that we need at this critical time.”

Carney said in his speech that international order has ceased and middle-power countries must choose to “compete with each other for favour or combine to create a third path.”

“I strongly support our prime minister in what he’s doing,” Hallikas said. “And I am very, very disappointed in what the American president is doing.”

Any concern that Canada will face retribution for Carney’s Davos speech?

“I don’t think it can get any worse,” Hallikas said. “At least I hope those words don’t come back to bite me.”