Just when we thought the federal Liberals’ cross-border charm offensive was cooling down, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau pops up as the subject of a glowing cover story in Rolling Stone magazine.
The 6,500-word piece mostly casts Canada under Trudeau as an enviable fairyland compared to an America under President Donald Trump (the profile was published online on Wednesday morning, the same day that Trump tweeted his intention to bar transgender people from serving in the U.S. military), and touches on everything from his Trump-management strategy, to his boxing match with former senator Patrick Brazeau, to his flashy socks. The magazine didn’t exactly play coy with its headlines, asking, “Justin Trudeau: Why Can’t He Be Our President?” and calling PMJT “The North Star.”
The response was swift, and invited — to the surprise of no one — markedly different takes, depending on which side of the border, or political spectrum, you’re on.
Some Canadians, tired of the gush-fest around Trudeau, found the profile fell flat (this include some Canadian journalists, who’ve been watching the American media’s fascination with Trudeau since that notorious photo shoot in Vogue. They were not amused. Well, maybe a little bit amused).
Canadians were also quick to point out ham-fisted errors any Canadian copy editor or fact checker would’ve caught (for example, the Liberal Party was referred to as the “Liberty” Party). The errors were swiftly corrected online.
And then there were those pointing out Canada is far from paradise and suggesting that Trudeau is perhaps not quite the magical progressive unicorn the international media make him out to be.
Good news, however, for Canada’s Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs and Youth (aka Trudeau): The kids seem to be totally stoked about the RS cover.
More:
19 recipes for peak raspberry season
Subscribe to our newsletters
10 pieces of personal finance wisdom we owe to Gail Vaz-Oxlade