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By Natalie Venegas
Weekend Reporter
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Wrestling fans in Canada booed the U.S. national anthem at a World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) wrestling match in Toronto on Saturday night seemingly in protest of President Donald Trump.
Newsweek has reached out to the White House and Canadian Foreign Affairs via email for comment on Sunday morning.
Why It Matters
The WWE match comes amid heightened tensions between the neighboring nations in the wake of Trump's threats to impose steep tariffs on Canadian imports and his repeated taunts about Canada becoming the 51st state. Trump has repeatedly suggested the U.S. could annex Canada and make it the 51st state since taking office last month. However, leaders of Canada have been dismissive of joining the U.S.
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This is just the latest incident of booing that has been repeatedly expressed by Canadians at several other sporting events tied to the economic and political tension with the U.S., marking a significant moment of national unity against Trump's trade policies.
What To Know
Ahead of the WWE showcase on Saturday night, American singer Elizabeth Irving performed the U.S. national anthem and was met with a loud number of boos and jeers from the crowd at Toronto's Rogers Centre.
In a video posted by left-leaning publication MeidasTouch on X, formerly, Twitter, the jeers can be heard continuing throughout the entirety of Irving's performance.
According to the New York Post, ESPN's Pat McAfee, who was at the announcer's desk for the "Elimination Chamber" event, condemned Canada for their reaction to the national anthem.
"This is the most stacked Elimination Chamber that the WWE has ever had. Kinda sucks that it's in the terrible country of Canada that booed our national anthem to start this entire thing," McAfee said.
The boos come after Trump announced the implementation of tariffs on imports from China, Mexico and Canada, set to take effect on March 4 following a 30-day pause agreed at the start of February.
Tariffs are taxes on imported goods, typically paid by the importing businesses, which can then pass costs onto consumers through higher prices. The importing business could be any American company that purchases goods from foreign suppliers and brings them into the country for resale, manufacturing, or distribution. Tariffs are often used to protect domestic industries by making foreign goods more expensive and encouraging consumers to buy locally.
The upcoming tariffs include a 25 percent tax on general imports from Mexico and Canada, a 10 percent tariff on Canadian energy products and an additional 10 percent tariff on Chinese goods, effectively doubling the existing rate.
The tariffs aim to address issues such as drug trafficking and trade imbalances. However, experts warn that these tariffs could lead to increased consumer prices, potentially fueling inflation and slowing economic growth.
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Other Instances of Booing at Sporting Events
This is not the first time Canadians have shown their opposition to Trump at sporting events as Toronto Raptors basketball fans booed the national anthem in early February days after Trump first threatened tariffs.
Late last month, hockey fans in Boston booed the Canadian national anthem on the night before the U.S. and Canada clashed in the 4 Nations Face-Off tournament championship.
The jeering came days after fans in Montreal loudly booed "The Star-Spangled Banner" during that weekend's testy matchup between the two teams, which the U.S. won 3-1. Days earlier, hockey fans similarly booed the U.S. national anthem when the American squad played Finland in Montreal.
What People Are Saying
MeidasTouch wrote on X on Saturday: "Canadians loudly boo during the U.S. National Anthem at WWE in Toronto tonight to show their opposition to Donald Trump and his administration."
Lana Payne, the national president of Unifor, Canada's largest private sector union, previously told Newsweek: "There is palpable anger over the multiple tariff threats and threats against our very sovereignty with the repeated assertation that Canada should become the 51st state. Canadians are coming together and fighting back in ways they can, and the easiest way to do that is to support the buying of things made in Canada."
Payne said the shift toward alternative vacation spots and supporting Canadian producers has "staying power regardless of the outcome of the tariff dispute" but that the boycott of American products "will depend on the actions of the U.S. government."
"If President Trump proceeds with tariffs, Canada will have no choice but to retaliate, and it is working people on both sides of the border who will pay the price," she added.
Michael McLarney, the president of HARDLINES, a newsletter focused on the Canadian home improvement retail industry, previously told Newsweek that the threat of tariffs from one of Canada's historic allies constituted "a major breach of trust that will not heal quickly" and that Trump's comments on making the country the 51st state "sting the Canadian psyche as much as tariffs would impact our pocketbooks."
"All these actions constitute a huge wake-up call to Canadians to reassess their trade affiliations and not be so reliant on one partner," he said.
In a post on Truth Social on Thursday, President Donald Trump claimed that illicit drugs like fentanyl are being smuggled into the U.S. at "unacceptable levels" and argued that import taxes would pressure other nations to curb trafficking.
"We cannot allow this scourge to continue to harm the USA, and therefore, until it stops, or is seriously limited, the proposed TARIFFS scheduled to go into effect on MARCH FOURTH will, indeed, go into effect, as scheduled," he wrote. "China will likewise be charged an additional 10% Tariff on that date."
What Happens Next?
In regard to the impending tariffs, Mexico and Canada have not announced retaliatory actions but are expected to respond in kind.
Trump has also hinted at an additional trade policy update scheduled for April 2, which could further escalate tensions with U.S. trading partners.
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