'A victory across the world,' Ontario Premier Doug Ford says after U.S. midterms

Ontario Premier Doug Ford said he was "doing cartwheels" after the Democrats took control of the House of Representatives and the Senate in the U.S. midterm elections.

Ford cautioned the trade war is not over, but said he is buoyed by the rebuke of U.S. President Donald Trump by the American electorate.

"I was doing cartwheels down the street," Ford said at Queen's Park on Wednesday. 

"But it's very simple, the American people spoke on a couple issues: cost of living, cost of gas, the war in Iran, but most important is tariffs, because that's all tied into the cost of living."

On Tuesday, Democrats flipped long-held Republican Senate seats in Texas, Maine and South Carolina while also taking over House seats.

Trump has begun backpedalling following the losses, shifting blame elsewhere but also pledging to work with the Democrats in a rare moment of bipartisanship.

Ford called out Trump for lambasting some of his supporters after the loss, including Texas Governor Greg Abbott.

"The cheese has slipped off the cracker with this guy totally," Ford said of Trump. "Like there is no cracker, there's no more cheese, and I think the Republican Party are going to start moving forward without him."

Ford and Trump traded barbs in late August after Trump said he would implement stiff tariffs on the auto sector on Jan. 1. Ford told Trump to "kiss my ass" in response, which enraged Trump, who responded by saying Ford was the less charismatic and less intelligent brother to the late Rob Ford, the former mayor of Toronto.

Trump has imposed 50 per cent tariffs on $28 billion of Canadian goods, which came into effect in early September, and the Mark Carney government responded with its own suite of tariffs on U.S. goods. 

Ford said the midterms give the Canadians "a little more leverage" in talks over a new trade deal.

"I want to emphasize the war is not over, and we're going to have to keep fighting," he said.

Ford said he has directed his cabinet to head to the United States once the new members are sworn in to build relationships in an effort to de-escalate the trade war with the U.S.

He praised Canadians, many of whom have boycotted travel to the U.S. or changed shopping habits to support Canadian businesses. 

"It's not just a victory for the people in the U.S., I think it's a victory across the world, and most importantly, it's a victory for the people of Canada because they played a strong voice."

Interim Ontario Liberal leader John Fraser said Ford needs to stay in his lane on negotiations with the U.S.

"What we need is a plan," he said. "The prime minister is leading that plan, and I think that the premier of this province and premiers in this country should take the lead from the prime minister. That's Team Canada."

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 4, 2026.

By Liam Casey | Copyright 2026, The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.