Since 2015, I have been cemented in my view that prime minister Justin Trudeau was sort of a cupcake.

Let me clarify; Trudeau never struck me as much of a tough guy. Even after he beat the shit out of former conservative senator Patrick Brazeau, Trudeau just never came off as some sort of macho guy, or even a strong leader.

When the pandemic began, Trudeau spent the following couple years drifting between a concerned leader and one that was trying to sound like he was someone to reckon with. He did that weird herky-jerky thing with his head as he freestyled his go-to labels about convoy protestors being racist, or sexist, or homophobic. But rather than come off as a leader who owned his words, often the words sounded like they owned him. He sounded less like a guy who was angry, and more like a leader who was told the right words to say.

I’m one of those Canadians who finds Trudeau to be cringey, and that’s probably not going to go away.

Last week I noticed a pivot in Trudeau’s communications where he opted to go with humour instead of the overly dramatic, tough guy talk. And I have to say, I think he nailed it.

In Hamilton, Trudeau braved a frantic crowd of aggressive detractors, walking with security through the mob, acknowledging only one of them with the quip “don’t forget to vote Liberal.” It was the perfect way to handle that situation, and Trudeau looked more like a statesman in that moment than he had in a long time.

HAPPENING NOW!

Protest in Hamilton, Ontario outside restaurant where Trudeau is having dinner!

The masses will rise up in the face of tyranny. pic.twitter.com/QXXLNx5ZXB

— Stew Peters (@realstewpeters) January 25, 2023

One element of that Hamilton situation that stuck out for me is how, if I had to choose between the two, I would say that the protestors, if you want to call them that, looked demonstrably less tough than the guy they were heckling who was walking like he didn’t have a care in the world. The contrast of watching people shrieking in order to get Trudeau’s attention, and Trudeau just shrugging, walking, and delivering that one sarcastic line, was so stark that it left the impression that this was a calm, measured, tough leader.

And then there is Pierre Poilievre.

A couple of days ago Poilievre took the podium and tried to sounds like a statesman himself, delivering a fear-soaked screed about how crime is “raging on our streets,” how people are losing loved ones to violent crime, how inflation was going to destroy us all, and how locked down families are now suffering immensely at airports because of waiting in line.

His speech attempted to stir up anger and resentment, but it fell irretrievably flat. He looked exactly like a guy who was trying to get people angry, rather than try to inspire people through leadership. It was the kind of speech intended to do things like anger people, or prompt them to donate to the Conservative Party of Canada, or motivate them to go yell more obscenities at Trudeau.

Given the difference between the two men last week, you might think that Poilievre sounded tougher and more like a serious leader than his rival, but the opposite actually happened; Trudeau seems like the kind of tough where he won’t get rattled by words, whereas Poilievre sounds like someone whose words sound strategic and inauthentic.

https://twitter.com/ryanlindley/status/1618735179820077057?s=20&t=XyRqJ7xmpxGEVn3HBibRwQ

Trudeau then capped off the week by delivering a Seinfeld-esque excoriation of Poilievre, delivering a short speech complete with decent punchlines and jabs, once again proving that strength is often measured via how one does not react, rather than how one does.

Political ironies.

One guy stays calm and measured and comes off as tougher than the guy who gets angry and flippant. It should be a lesson for Poilievre, but it will probably fly right over his head like the plane that will eventually take off once Trudeau is out of power, or something.

Not every week is going to be like last week, but if Poilievre doesn’t do something to change his communications, he will slowly morph into Pierre Brazeau as his nemesis hammers him over and over again.