Reuters/Carlos Barria
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and US President Donald Trump meet at the White House on February 13, 2017.
Trudeaumania has officially engulfed the US, but as Canada celebrates its 150th anniversary it's worth noting that the Canadian prime minister's approval ratings have tumbled to their lowest since he took office 20 months ago.The Canadian leader's welcoming approach to refugees, advocacy for women's rights, and strides towards marijuana legalization have been major factors in his popularity both back home and abroad.
Four in 10 Americans would prefer to have Justin Trudeau be the US president instead of Donald Trump, an Ipsos poll found in February.
In some ways, Trudeau's charm, impressive campaigning skills, and fondness of wearing themed, brightly colored socks have earned him a sort of celebrity status in the US.
Buzzfeed published an entire article about a photo of Trudeau wearing tight pants, and a slideshow comprised entirely of "hot" pics:
Cooling off up north
But in Canada, the initial honeymoon period of mobbing to take selfies with the prime minister is clearly over.
A Forum Research poll found that, by May 2017, only 42% of Canadians approved of how Trudeau was leading the country. Approval ratings, though still high compared to past prime ministers, are at their lowest point since Trudeau took office in November 2015.
Trudeau has faced criticism for supporting oil pipeline expansion, going ahead with a controversial plan to supply military vehicles to Saudi Arabia, underfunding social services to Canada's Aboriginal community, failing to fulfill his promises of electoral reform, and, last winter, taking a luxurious vacation on a billionaire's private island.
Last year, Canadian media critic Jesse Brown wrote in an article titled "Think Canada is a progressive paradise? That's mooseshit," for The Guardian that "Trudeau is the political equivalent of a YouTube puppy video," and the country has many more problems to solve than its leader's US popularity suggests.
While liberal Americans continue to exalt the Canadian prime minister for his progressive values - or, in some cases, simply for his good looks - Canadians aren't all convinced.
Justin Trudeau has brought a new tactic to the political playbook. @VVfriedman calls it sock diplomacy. https://t.co/Nj4fzPZhlQ
- The New York Times (@nytimes) June 28, 2017The Internet is going wild for young Justin Trudeau: see the sexy pics! https://t.co/RIYaRPfC2h pic.twitter.com/N3tOw4IBOZ
- Us Weekly (@usweekly) March 4, 2017Damn. Young @JustinTrudeau is outrageously hot: https://t.co/USgcuIwQ60
- InStyle (@InStyle) March 6, 2017We need to talk about this picture of Justin Trudeau https://t.co/1RosWIKW4n pic.twitter.com/SXYPima9vW
- BuzzFeed (@BuzzFeed) February 23, 2017Buzzfeed gives up. Beyond cringeworthy. https://t.co/ZZgXgXQFz9
- Andrew Coyne (@acoyne) March 5, 2017The cool thing about Trudeau is that he's proof a centrist from a political dynasty can seem like a liberal hero if he's hot.
- ❄️ Lux Alptraum ❄️ (@LuxAlptraum) March 6, 2017I AM SCREAMING https://t.co/EQMQdBtV9J
- nick prayner (@nockprayner) March 6, 2017