Americans are less likely to see Canada as a close U.S. ally than two years ago, as President Trump has escalated the trade war with the country's northern neighbor and expressed interest in Canada becoming the 51st state, according to a new survey released Friday. 

The Associated Press (AP)-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research poll found that 45 percent of Americans think of Canada as a close ally, a figure that has dropped 17 points since September 2023, when it was 62 percent. 

Around 30 percent of respondents think of Canada as being “friendly” but not a close U.S. ally, a 5-point increase since September 2023 when it was 25 percent, according to the poll. 

The change of perception about Canada is mostly seen among Democratic Party voters, but with some Republicans as well. Around 51 percent of Democrats view Canada as an ally, more than a 20-point drop from 73 percent in 2023. On the GOP end, 44 percent of Republicans think of Canada as an ally, a double-digit dip since 2023’s 55 percent, according to the survey. 

The shifting public opinion of Canada comes as the current administration has imposed tariffs on loads of Canadian goods, along with announcing this week that, on April 2, a 25 percent tariff will be placed on all car imports. Trump has also stated that reciprocal tariffs will come into play next week. 

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said on Thursday that the country’s longstanding economic relationship is “over” and added that Ottawa will push back “forcefully.” 

Trump and Carney spoke over the phone on Friday, with the president describing it as a “productive” talk and saying the two will meet after Canada’s upcoming election to “work on elements of Politics, Business, and all other factors, that will end up being great for both the United States of America and Canada.” 

A Yahoo News/YouGov poll released this week discovered that fewer than 1 in 5 Americans are in favor of the U.S. annexing Canada. 

The AP-NORC survey was conducted from March 20-24 among 1,229 Americans. It had a margin of error of plus or minus 3.9 percentage points.