Christopher Cross delivered a lighthearted apology to Canadians at his recent concert, telling his Toronto crowd on Sunday (Aug. 30) that he’s “sorry and embarrassed” that Donald Trump has embroiled the United States in a trade war with the Great White North.
In between songs at RBC Amphitheatre, the singer-guitarist took a moment to address the ongoing tensions between his home country and the one he was visiting. “I want to tell you how much we love your country and appreciate your country very much,” Cross said on behalf of his band. “I’m just very sorry and embarrassed that we have an a–hole for a president.”
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The musician also asked the Canadians in the crowd not to “give up” on America. “We have an election coming up, and we’re gonna do our best to fix it,” Cross continued. “Then we’ll be buying all your s–t again and you’ll be buying all our s–t — we can be victims of corporate greed together.”
“Enough of my preaching here,” he added. “I’m sure you’ll be reading in the paper where I’ve been ejected from my country, but that’s OK. I wanted to say what I had to say.”
Billboard has reached out to the White House for comment.
The U.S. and Canada have been at odds since August, when trade negotiations between the two countries turned to the implementation of tariffs affecting the prices of a number of products. Prime Minister Mark Carney said recently that “America has changed” and that Canada would “not return to our old relationship” with the States, according to the Associated Press, while President Trump has stated his belief on Truth Social that Canada has “been ripping us off for decades.” The twice-impeached POTUS has also signed an executive order to rename Lake Ontario to Lake America.
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Cross is not the first musician to take shots at Trump’s deadlock with Canada. Jelly Roll also joked about the trade war during his recent guest hosting stint on Jimmy Kimmel Live!, noting that toilet paper is one of the many products becoming more expensive as a result of the trade issues.
“You have to admit, there is something poetic about it being so expensive to wipe our ass just because the president’s full of s–t,” the country singer quipped on the show.
Cross last dropped an album in 2017, unveiling Take Me As I Am. He’s topped the Billboard Hot 100 twice, first with “Sailing” in 1980 followed by “Arthur’s Theme (Best That You Can Do)” in 1981.
