Florida could be the biggest loser in Trump’s fight against Canada

If you’ve ever seen the film Argo where Canadians risked their lives to smuggle six Americans from Tehran during the Iranian hostage crisis, you’ve got a bit of a glimpse into the tested friendship of time between the US and Canada. The assertion that President Donald Trump is hostile to our neighbors north is an astonishing self-vassal in that they are burning the American flag and declaring our friendship as “too much.” In the US, yes. But especially Florida.

If our state is business, Canada will be our best customer. Canadians represent about a quarter of international travelers to our province. There are about 500,000 homes here. Plus: Florida is home to around 500 Canadian-owned companies employing 51,000 Floridians, Canada is our state’s largest export market, buying more than $5 billion in goods each year.

So it’s baffling that Trump, a proud Florida and self-proclaimed master businessman, goes out of his way to drive away these clients and employers.

Canadian steel and aluminum tariffs? check. Would you provoke Canada as the “51st State”? check. Would you humiliate then Prime Minister Justin Trudeau as a secret descendant of Fidel Castro? That’s all – a move that shocks sane strategists with Trump’s whispers that he wants to launch Canada from the Five Eyes Intelligence Alliance.

The fallout was quick. Advance bookings from Canada to Florida have been significantly lower. The forecast shows a 35% decline in visits to Disney World in Canada. And the Snowbirds are backing from the lease. When someone confiscates a Florida beachfront deposit in February, you know that things are bad.

This costs us, but it’s not just about money. Canada has bleeding beside America in almost every war of the past century. During World War I, long before America took part in the battle, Canadians were already in the European trench. And in one of the war’s most legendary moments, Canadian pilot Captain Arthur Roy Brown defeated the infamous red baron, Manfred von Richson.

In World War II, Canada once again showed its temper. The United States was still weighing the gateway to war, but Canada had already declared a war with Nazi Germany. Canadian and American troops raided Normandy beaches together, fought in the European skies, and held queues across the Pacific Ocean. Canada did not wait to be asked – they acted out of principles and friendship.

Fast forward to the Cold War. Canada shoulder to shoulder with the United States, forming the Nord in 1958, jointly defending North America from the Soviet threat. That agreement is one of the most sophisticated examples of military and strategic cooperation between any two countries.

And then 9/11 came. While American airspace was closed, thousands of Americans were housed and fed by locals who were asked nothing by the locals of Gander, Newfoundland, as Broadway smash hit “Come Away.”

Many times, Canadians have helped us to do right, not out of duty, because they believe us in the same things as us.

From a strategic and security perspective, Trump’s posture is a textbook case of cutting his nose to stare at the face. When China and Russia play long games, including the important Arctic, it’s insanity to push away one partner who has always had our backs.

And there is economical autofluorescence. A good businessman will not alienate his best clients just to score points on cable news.

If Republicans want to call themselves a capitalist party, they need to start by respecting their clients and begin acting that way. Florida’s economy runs not only with the sunlight, but with the rays of the sun as well. Don’t drive away people who bring both.

If Trump doesn’t defend his ties with Canada, Florida Democratic leaders should step up and do it on their own. A provincial legislative resolution or special incentives for Canadian tourists could help send the right message. We are ground zero due to this diplomatic divorce fallout, so we need to go to ground zero to reverse the campaign as well.

Let’s remember who our friends are before we lose them forever.

Cruise industry entrepreneur Philip Levine is a former two-term mayor of Miami Beach and former Democratic candidate for the governor of Florida.