Canadian Rage Room Offers Trump Portraits for Smashing Amid Tariff Discontent
Halifax, Nova Scotia – A rage room in Halifax is offering Canadians a unique way to vent their frustration over former President Donald Trump’s tariffs: by smashing portraits of the former U.S. leader. Rage Room: Halifax, located in the capital of Nova Scotia, announced the "Smash the Tariffs" promotion on its website, acknowledging the potential for heightened anger stemming from the trade policies.
The promotion provides customers with complimentary portraits of Trump when they purchase any package of "smashables." Moreover, for a $5 donation to a local Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, food bank, patrons can also obliterate likenesses of Vice President Kamala Harris and DOGE enthusiast Elon Musk.
Terry LeBlanc, the owner of Rage Room: Halifax, clarified that the business primarily focuses on entertainment. However, he felt compelled to offer this outlet given current global events and the perceived need for stress relief. "We’re entertainment first," LeBlanc told Global News. "Normally, I don’t really get political. However, I feel with everything going on in the world and what’s happening these days … this is needed."
LeBlanc emphasized that the promotion aims to provide customers with a way to release stress and find entertainment. A social media post promoting the initiative encouraged Canadians "fed up with the chaos" and the relentless news cycle to visit the rage room and discover "the perfect way to let it out."
CTV News reported witnessing a 14-year-old boy, donning a protective mask, place a framed picture of Trump on a table before smashing it with a baseball bat. When asked why he wanted to smash the portrait, the boy stated that it was "about how he’s treating this country (Canada)." His sister subsequently smashed another Trump portrait with a golf club, expressing her view that Trump is "not a very smart man" and that the rage room provided a safe avenue for releasing her frustrations.
The smashable packages typically feature names like "Anger Management" and "Parental Leave," according to CTV. The business regularly surveys customers about their top smashable item, and recently, Trump’s likeness has been a consistent favorite.
The tariffs and their potential consequences have become a point of contention in Canadian politics. Liberal Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau recently remarked on the limitations of matching U.S. tariffs, considering the significant size difference between the two economies. He also criticized Conservative Party leader Pierre Poilievre’s approach to addressing the tariff issue.
On Monday, Poilievre expressed concern that both U.S. and Canadian workers would suffer due to the tariffs, criticizing both Trudeau and his predecessor for what he called a "lost liberal decade." He urged a resolution to the problem, speaking alongside blue-collar workers in L’Orignal, Ontario.
The "Smash the Tariffs" promotion has garnered attention on both sides of the border. When questioned about the rage room, White House spokesman Andrew Bates responded that "Fortunately, Canadians won’t have to worry about President Trump’s tariffs anymore.
The Secret Service, responsible for presidential protection, did not respond to requests for comment on the situation.
This incident comes amid reports of Canadian stores removing American bourbon and other U.S. products from their shelves in response to the Trump administration’s tariff actions. The trade dispute has created tension between the two long-standing allies, leading to creative and sometimes unusual forms of protest.
The rage room’s initiative highlights the lingering resentment felt by some Canadians towards Trump’s trade policies. It serves as a symbolic outlet for frustration, providing a physical way to express displeasure with the former president’s actions. Whether this form of protest will influence policy changes is uncertain, but it underscores the depth of sentiment surrounding the trade dispute. The promotion has also generated significant publicity for the Halifax-based business, demonstrating how political and economic issues can be leveraged for marketing purposes.
