Canadian politicians love lecturing Americans about trade and tourism.
Ontario Premier Doug Ford just learned Trump doesn't back down from threats.
And Doug Ford just made a fool of himself after Ron DeSantis exposed his pathetic boycott stunt.
DeSantis crushes Ford's narrative with record tourism numbers
Ontario Premier Doug Ford whined to reporters that he'd skip his usual Florida vacation this year because of Trump's trade policies.
Ford encouraged Canadians to "stay here and support local tourism" and claimed Florida is "hurtin' down there right now."¹
https://twitter.com/Breaking911/status/2000707491676467679?s=20
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis immediately slapped Ford down with hard data.
"Actually we continue to break tourism records (and win Stanley Cups)," DeSantis fired back, citing Florida's 34.4 million visitors in the second quarter alone.²
DeSantis even threw in a brutal dig about the Florida Panthers winning back-to-back Stanley Cups while the Toronto Maple Leafs haven't won since 1967.
The facts back DeSantis completely.
The numbers back up DeSantis completely.
Florida pulled in 34.3 million tourists in Q3 2025 — up 0.3% from 2024 despite Ford's boycott theatrics.³
https://twitter.com/FLVoiceNews/status/1896961600567013722?s=20
Sure, Canadian visits dropped 15% in Q3.
But Americans more than picked up the slack.
Domestic travelers made up 91.7% of Florida's visitors, with 31.5 million people choosing the Sunshine State over anywhere else.⁴
Overseas visitors jumped 3.2% to 2.3 million.⁵
Here's the kicker: Canadian tourists now account for a measly 1.5% of Florida's total visitors.⁶
That's the economic powerhouse Ford pretends is keeping Florida afloat?
Bryan Griffin, president and CEO of VISIT FLORIDA, wasn't buying Ford's nonsense for a second.
"Florida tourism remains strong and leads the nation," Griffin stated. "VISIT FLORIDA is strategically focused on growing visitation from Latin America and Europe and maintaining Florida's #1 market share of domestic tourists, and our strategy is working."⁷
https://twitter.com/BryanDGriffin/status/2006365774194057523?s=20
Trump's America First agenda exposes Canada's weakness
Ford's boycott tantrum reveals how dependent Canada's economy is on American goodwill.
Canadian travel to the United States dropped more than 25% through 2025, but that's Canada's problem, not America's.⁸
Trump spotted what Washington elites refused to admit for decades — America's been subsidizing Canada through trade deals that only work one way.
His tariff threats forced Canadian politicians to face an uncomfortable truth: they need us a hell of a lot more than we need them.
The Canadian dollar tanked because of Canada's own economic mess, not Trump's tariffs. And those skyrocketing insurance premiums?
Rising medical costs? That's what happens when you run a socialist healthcare system into the ground.
When Trump floated making Canada the 51st state, he touched a nerve Canadian politicians won't admit exists.
Ford and the rest panicked because deep down, they know their country only survives because America lets it.
https://twitter.com/PBDsPodcast/status/2001419634969383415?s=20
Ford and other Canadian officials panicked because they know Trump is right about Canada's economic dependence.
Some Canadians like Donna Lockhart from Ontario threw tantrums and put their Florida condos up for sale.
"If they don't want us there, we don't need to be there," Lockhart whined.⁹
Good riddance.
While a few bitter Canadians stayed home, Florida simply redirected its massive tourism infrastructure to welcome the millions of Americans and international visitors eager to vacation in the Sunshine State.
Canadians spent $20 billion traveling within their own country during Q2 2025 compared to just $8.1 billion abroad — proving they're broke, not principled.¹⁰
Mexico saw Canadian arrivals jump 14% as snowbirds fled to a cheaper alternative because they can't afford Florida anymore.¹¹
Ford's boycott backfired spectacularly
DeSantis destroyed Ford's entire argument back in August during the 2025 Florida Governor's Conference on Tourism.
"They said that the Canadians were going to stop coming to Florida. And I'm thinking to myself, 'I don't think that's true, because who would want to be in Canada in the Winter or Spring when you could be in Florida?'" DeSantis said.¹²
He was absolutely right.
A SnowbirdAdvisor.ca survey found 70% of Canadians who traditionally fly south for the winter still spent the winter in the U.S. despite Ford's boycott calls.¹³
The 30% who stayed home or went elsewhere simply opened up space for Americans and international travelers to enjoy Florida's world-class beaches and attractions.
https://twitter.com/EricLDaugh/status/1896961512142758150?s=20
Florida's hotel industry adapted quickly, with occupancy staying strong at 61.9% despite some quarterly fluctuations.¹⁴
Democrat congressional candidate Allen Spence tried to blame Trump and DeSantis for missing Canadian tourists.
"The Canadian boycott is absolutely affecting us," Spence whined.¹⁵
But Florida's record tourism numbers prove Spence and other Democrats are lying about the economic impact.
Ford made himself look like a fool by pretending his boycott hurt Florida while DeSantis kept winning.
The Florida Panthers won back-to-back Stanley Cups while the Maple Leafs continued their 58-year championship drought.
Florida tourism hit record numbers while Canada's economy sputtered.
Trump's America First policies forced weak leaders like Ford to show their true colors — all talk, no substance.
DeSantis proved Florida doesn't need Canadian politicians' approval to thrive.
The Sunshine State will keep breaking tourism records with or without Doug Ford's permission.
¹ Doug Ford, media availability, December 2025.
² Ron DeSantis, X post, December 2025.
³ VISIT FLORIDA, "Q3 2025 Tourism Statistics," January 2, 2026.
⁴ Ibid.
⁵ Ibid.
⁶ Ibid.
⁷ Bryan Griffin, VISIT FLORIDA press release, January 2, 2026.
⁸ Tourism Economics, "2025 U.S. Travel Report," 2025.
⁹ John Paul Tasker, "Some snowbirds want out of Florida," CBC News, January 1, 2026.
¹⁰ Statistics Canada, "Canadian Travel Statistics Q2 2025," August 2025.
¹¹ Travel and Tour World, "Mexico Tourism Statistics," 2025.
¹² Ron DeSantis, remarks at Florida Governor's Conference on Tourism, August 2025.
¹³ SnowbirdAdvisor.ca survey, 2025.
¹⁴ VISIT FLORIDA, "Q3 2025 Accommodation Data," January 2, 2026.
¹⁵ Allen Spence, interview with CBC News, January 2026.
