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WASHINGTON – It had to come to this. Given the man and his methods, is it any surprise?

We hoped otherwise, that with goodwill, generosity and forbearance – as well as commerce, history and geography – we could come to an understanding with Donald J. Trump.

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We tolerated his fears and his facts. We ignored his assault on the liberal international order: his resentment of NATO, his withdrawal from the Paris Agreement, the Trans-Pacific Partnership and the Iranian nuclear deal. We abstained at the United Nations when he moved the U.S. Embassy to Jerusalem, much as we opposed it.

We winced when he lied about his trade surplus with us. We stayed at the table when he made demands on NAFTA that no self-respecting nation could accept. Indeed, we vowed to stay at the table until he took away the table – which he may yet do.

We recruited Brian Mulroney to seduce him. We established a war room in Ottawa to map strategy. We created a women’s business forum to flatter Ivanka Trump and invited her to attend “Come From Away” on Broadway.