The war between Canada and Trump just got real with the publication of a battle plan to target Trump and his family where it hurts – their pocketbooks.
Scott Gilmore has an extensive resume working as a diplomat, having served as a political officer for Global Affairs Canada, for the United Nations’ Office of the National Security Advisor, and as the Deputy Director for Asia for Canada’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade.
A writer, Gilmore has been writing extensively about Trump’s efforts to kick off a global trade war.
Writing for McLean’s Magazine, Gilmore has written about the need to bypass normal diplomacy when dealing with Trump.
Earlier this month Gilmore reported that:
French President Emmanuel Macron, who entertained President Trump with pomp, circumstance, and backslaps could not prevent him from abandoning the Paris Agreement. Germany’s persuasive Chancellor Angela Merkel could not stop him from undermining NATO. And our own government’s exhaustive diplomatic campaign has failed to protect us from the punishing steel tariffs… For Canada and the western allies, diplomatic success in the era of Trump has only meant delaying the inevitable. Eventually, with the inexplicable exception of Russia, Trump punches everyone in the nose.
And just how does that work? Continuing, Gilmore explained:
[Trump] can be successfully engaged, and countries like Ukraine, China, and Qatar have demonstrated this. When they want something from the United States, they skip the State Department… [and] focus on what Trump wants on a personal level – to enrich his family. So Beijing granted Ivanka trademarks, Qatar invested in one of Jared’s office towers, and Ukraine, with Slavic candor, simply wired half a million dollars to the President’s personal lawyer Michael Cohen.
Gilmore expanded on that idea in a follow-up article, suggesting that the target countries of Trump’s nationalist trade tariffs fight back by going after Trump’s personal assets and those of his family members instead of imposing tariffs nationwide on American companies.
Until this President, every previous modern occupant of the White House divested their assets upon assuming office. This eliminated the possibility personal business interests might benefit from political decisions. Conversely, it prevented others from threatening the President by attacking those assets. Trump, by refusing to give up his businesses, and by flagrantly violating the emoluments clause, has inadvertently handed us the perfect stick.
I propose that instead of taxing the import of American serviettes, we tax Trump. In the spirit of the Magnitsky Act, Canada and the western allies come together to collectively pressure the only pain point that matters to this President: his family and their assets. This could take the form of special taxation on their current operations, freezing of assets, or even sanctions against senior staff. Canada could add a tax to Trump properties equal to any tariff unilaterally imposed by Washington. The European Union could revoke any travel visas for senior staff in the Trump organization. And the United Kingdom could temporarily close his golf courses.
Gilmore calls for a coordinated Canadian boycott targeting Trump and his family members
Last week, Gilmore took his idea to the next level, publishing a call for fellow Canadians to join him in hitting Trump and his family where it hurts the most – in their pocketbooks, publishing a list of companies to boycott that are either owned by Trump and his family or ones that sell or otherwise promote Trump goods and services.
“Let’s hit him where it hurts, shall we?” he wrote in the subtitle of the article.
Gilmore prefaced his call-to-action, writing:
You all have your reasons. Some are furious about domestic policies that lock child asylum seekers in cages. For others, it’s a foreign policy that supports Russia and denigrates allies. Maybe it’s just the man himself, who boasts of assaulting women. Or, it might even be the tariffs, sparking unnecessary trade wars that are killing jobs in the U.S. and abroad. Whatever the reason, you’re reading this because you want to hit back and hurt Trump in the only place he cares about – his wallet.
Continuing, Gilmore reiterated his earlier argument that effectively pushing back against Trump requires going after his personal assets and those of his family members.
He explained to his fellow Canadians that “targeted sanctions” imposed by governments “take time.” However, “[you] can move much faster and are far stronger than you realize. Just ask Roseanne Barr, who recently lost her job just hours after individual consumers threatened the ABC network with a boycott. These same market forces can be applied to Trump.”
Gilmore’s article concluded with a list of companies to boycott, “compiled with the assistance of data collected by the Grab Your Wallet campaign.”
Concluding his instructions, Gilmore noted that “There are four different ways Canadians can use this list:”
- “Start by simply boycotting these businesses.
- “Contact the company to explain why you are boycotting.
- “Use social media like Twitter and Facebook to address these companies in public.
- “Send this list to your like-minded friends so they can do the same.”
And the best part is that you can take this advice yourself and use this list whether you are Canadian or from the United States or any other individual who opposes the Trump regime.
Why wait for the midterm elections? Here’s something you can do today to put pressure on Trump’s lawless regime.
Click here for Gilmore’s list and you can click here for the Grab Your Wallet campaign.
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