Doug Ford and Donald Trump are two controversial politicians, with a past in the corporal world and a shared conservative approach to politics and leadership.
Doug Ford is the Ontario Progressive Conservative leader who recently won the Ontario elections, in Canada, while Donald Trump is the current President of the United States and a representative of the American Republican party. The two are often compared because of their strong personalities and their sometimes radical views and approaches to politics and economy.
Apart from their past in the business world and their existing ties with large corporations, the two share other key aspects, including a conflicting relationship with the media and a tendency to attack their opponents. Yet, Ford is no Trump, and Trump is surely no Ford.
While the US President was one of the least appreciated candidates in the history of US politics according to polls, Ford’s numbers are more encouraging. The Canadian politicians is much less radical than Trump in his anti-immigration stance.
Ford is generally more moderate than Trump, even though both politicians include some populist aspects in their political discourse.
Who is Doug Ford?
Born in 1964, Doug Ford is a Canadian businessman and politician. He is the leader of the Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario and became the 26th – and current – Premier of Ontario on 29 June 2018, following the 2018 Ontario general elections. Some of the key points on which Ford based his most recent campaign include:
- Attacking his opponents by accusing them of representing the “elite” rather than the real residents of Ontario. In this respect, he pledged several northern-focused initiatives to gain popular support, including the reinstatement of the Ontario Northland Railway’s Northlander train service and the resource development in the Northern Ontario ring of fire;
- Promoting the improvement of the health care system, especially in northern Ontario, as well as the updating of the sex education components of the Ontario health curriculum. In this regard, he suggested that minors should be required to seek their parent’s consent before obtaining an abortion;
- Promising the creation of jobs in Ontario by cutting taxes, simplifying regulations and promoting competitive electricity rates; and
- Redistributing part of the existing city’s proposed rapid transit system budget to roads and infrastructure.
After winning the elections, Doug Ford announced a freeze in salaries for all civil servants, promised a reduction in gasoline prices by as much as 10 cents per liter, and eliminated rebates for electric vehicles. He also cancelled the Green Ontario Fund residential debate – which included a CA$100 million fund for adding indigenous peoples’ content to school curricula, financing public school repairs, and providing free prescriptions for young people under 24 years of age – and announced that the 2015 Ontario’s health curriculum, which had been updated by the previous administration, would be reverted to the 1998 curriculum.
Who is Donald Trump?
Born in 1946, Donald Trump is a representative of the US Republican party, who became President of the United States in 2016, after defeating Democrat Hillary Clinton. Trump is the first president in the history of the Unites States to be elected without having previous military, political or government experience. In fact, before entering the world of politics, Trump was involved in the family’s real estate business and starred in the TV-show “The Apprentice.” Trump’s bold business style translated into several bankruptcies and forced him to give up large chunks of his ownership shares in order to save his business.
During the 2016 electoral campaign, Trump used an aggressive approach, accusing the media and his opponents of lying and misleading public opinion. Trump presented himself as the anti-establishment candidate, and his victory caught many exponents of the political elite by surprise. Since the beginning of his presidency, Trump has taken several controversial measure, including:
- Signing two immigration bans preventing or slowing down immigration from a number of Muslim majority countries;
- Escalating tensions with North Korea by imposing new sanctions, but also promoting dialogue between North and South Korea;
- Imposing new sanctions on Iran and backed out of the Iranian nuclear deal;
- Imposing sanctions on a number of imported goods in order to promote local businesses and create jobs;
- Pulling out of or renegotiating several multilateral agreements, including the Paris agreement;
- Withdrawing from the UN Human Rights Council as a sign of protest against the alleged council’s bias against Israel;
- Escalating tensions with Turkey – causing a drop of the Turkish lira’s value to an all-time low;
- Moving the US embassy in Jerusalem; and
- Harshening immigration policies, detaining and separating families at the border, and deporting several illegal immigrants.
Despite his controversial approach, under Trump’s presidency, the unemployment rate has dropped and the dollar has gained strength against all other currencies. His pledge of “putting America first” has translated in short-term improvements and benefits for the American economy, but many wonder whether this is a sustainable political and economic model.
Similarities between Doug Ford and Donald Trump
Doug Ford and Donald Trump are often compared because of their unorthodox approach to politics and their conservative view on a number of aspects. Indeed, there are key differences between the two politicians, but there are also a number of similarities that cannot be overlooked:
- Both have a conservative approach towards some health care issues, especially abortion. Trump has cut funds for some organizations providing free abortion and consulting to women across the world, while Ford has created stricter regulations for abortion and has announced that the 2015 health curriculum containing a sex education portion will be replaced by the older 1998 version;
- Both have accused their opponents of being elitists, disconnected by the real population’s problems, wishes and concerns;
- Both have showed little concern for environmental problems and climate change: Trump has pulled out of the Paris agreement and is promoting the use of coal in the United States, while Ford has promised a reduction in gasoline costs and has eliminated rebates for electric vehicles; and
- Both have focused on cutting taxes, especially for the wealthy – meaning that the real benefit for the middle class is only marginal.
What is the Difference between Doug Ford and Donald Trump?
A part from Ford’s slightly higher numbers in terms of domestic approvals according to polls, there are other key differences between the Republican US President and the leader of the Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario.
Due to their position:
(i.e. US President and Premier of Ontario), they have different duties and responsibilities. While Trump is responsible of US domestic and foreign policies, Ford is more focused on the domestic and local needs of Ontario and its population. Trump has to create and maintain diplomatic ties with other countries and has the ability to negotiate international agreements, while Ford has little influence on Canada’s foreign policy strategies;
Ideas:
Some of Ford’s ideas can be defined as centrists, while Trump’s stance is usually much more radical, especially in terms of immigration and environmental issues. In addition, being a more standard politician, Ford is generally more predictable than Trump; and
Relationship with Media:
Both politicians have a conflicting relationship with the media, although Ford has generally a more open and cooperative approach. Trump has been attacking journalists and media outlets throughout his campaign and during his presidency, and has been accusing the media of spreading fake news.
Doug Ford vs Donald Trump
Building on the differences highlighted in the previous section, we can identify few other aspects that differentiate the two politicians.
Summary of Doug Ford vs Donald Trump
Donald Trump and Doug Ford are two unusual politicians, with unorthodox methods and a peculiar approach to the world of politics.
The two are often compared because of similar backgrounds and because of radical views on certain aspects, especially on abortion, immigration and environmental issues. However, a part from some similarities, they have different personalities and political strategies.
Trump tends to be more radical, while Ford has a more moderate approach even though he is often referred to as the “Canadian Donald Trump” because of the populist influence in his rhetoric.