For most Canadians, the reality-show drama unfolding now in the U.S. under the train-wreck presidency of Donald Trump is both frightening and addictive.

We are horrified and appalled by the actions, proclamations and Twitter abuse of arguably the most unqualified president in American history.

But to some Canadians, Donald Trump can do little wrong. Indeed, they seemingly love the man and wish his brand of elite-bashing, America-first style of leadership would be adopted by political leaders here in Canada.

And while their ranks may be small and some avoid voicing their views with friends, neighbours and colleagues at work or school, many Trump fans in our midst are noisy, angry, frustrated, bitter — and in some cases downright nasty.

Importantly, Canadians who dislike and fear Trump and who speak only with like-minded people should know what other Canadians are saying about the man who some, including myself, have branded the worst president ever.

Although these Trump supporters will likely never vote for Justin Trudeau or the NDP, they could still have some influence, albeit small, in how the Conservatives run their campaign in the next election in 2019.

They include doctors, lawyers, business executives, small-town and big-city professionals, retirees and students, anti-abortionists, labourers and Trudeau-haters — and, oh, do they loath him.

I heard first-hand from hundreds of these Trump supporters in Canada when I wrote a column last week in which I urged Trudeau not to invite Trump to extend his visit to Canada next May when he will be here for the G7 summer in La Malbaie, a small town on the north shore of the St. Lawrence River. I especially pushed him to avoid inviting Trump at some other date for an official state visit, complete with a formal banquet in honour of the U.S. president.

I was surprised by the profanity-laced vitriol spewed by many readers who sent emails to me, of their anger toward “elites” and “lefties.” I was called a supporter of Daesh, a “traitor,” a “disgrace,” and “idiot” and worse.

These readers praised Trump on everything from his travel bans on Muslims to his moves to cut taxes, boost military spending, reduce environmental protections, beat up on “fake-news” media and fire FBI Director James Comey.

Despite their get-tough emails, many of the nastier trolls lacked the guts to go public. I asked some of them if I could use their comments in this column along with their names, cities and jobs. Not one said yes. They included a senior lawyer at a Lisgar St. law firm in Ottawa, a vice president of marketing for an Edmonton equipment supply company and an economist with a cosy office in the B.C. government’s finance department.

Many Trump fans said the numbers of Canadians who support Trump are grossly under-reported. They dismissed polls showing the vast majority of Canadians can’t stand Trump as “fake news, fake polls.”

Still, there’s solid proof that Trump-lovers are delusional if they believe they have great support in Canada.

A Pew Research Centre study released Monday indicated 92 per cent of Canadians think Trump is arrogant, 78 per cent think he is intolerant, 72 per cent think he is dangerous and only 16 per cent think he is well qualified to be president. Even given the “margin of error” of 3 to 5 percentage points assigned to most polls, this is a stunning rejection of their man.

Another poll released earlier this month by Abacus Data found 39 per cent of Canadians think Trump is the worst president ever. Another 29 per cent think he’s just “one of the worst.” Barely 10 per cent say he’s an average president and only two per cent think he’s the best president ever.

Even most Conservatives held negative views on Trump, with more than two-thirds seeing him as rude, mean, unethical, thoughtless, undisciplined, ignorant, dishonest, unprincipled and has bad values.

Abacus also asked Canadians to assess Trump’s impact on the environment, America’s image and Canada’s economy. On every item, upwards of two-thirds said he had a negative impact.

“It’s common for Canadians to have tepid feelings for Republican presidents. But these numbers go far beyond any norms I can recall,” Abacus chairman Bruce Anderson said.

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Many readers asked where they could sign a petition that urged Canada to bar or partly restrict Trump’s entry into Canada. One online petition still open is run on the website of LeadNow.ca.

Mere mention of the petition will surely send the hardline pro-Trump Canadians into a frenzy. I look forward to their emails.

Bob Hepburn’s column appears Thursday. bhepburn@thestar.ca

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