News imageA Point of View, A Point of View, Elbows Up: Canada v Trump

A Point of View

A Point of View

Elbows Up: Canada v Trump

14 March 2025

11 minutes

Available for over a year

After Donald Trump proposed that Canada could be consumed as America's 51st State, Adam Gopnik reflects on his homeland's history with the United States and Canada's new-found patriotic toughness - and how it differs from nationalism.

'It’s is only a little startling, though very Canadian, to find the new motto 'elbows up' radiating everywhere in Canada,' Adam writes, referring to a defensive position found in the country's premier passion, ice hockey.

'It is a classic patriotic stance - not throwing a punch, but letting the other side know that there are angles in your physique and resistance,' he writes.

'The picture now is one of an entire country, elbows proudly up'.

Producer: Sheila Cook

Sound: Peter Bosher

Production Co-ordinator: Liam Morrey

Editor: Richard Fenton-Smith