If you had to pick just one place to take the temperature of relations between the U.S. and Canada right now, consider The Rubber Duck Museum in Point Roberts, Wash.
The museum is located in a small U.S. town attached to Canada, not the U.S. mainland. The only way to drive to the town, which is at the end of a peninsula, is to go through Canada. This unique location makes the town of about 1,200 people dependent upon its northern neighbor for nearly everything, including customers looking to add to their rubber duck collections.
Neil and Krystal King are the owners of the rubber duck museum and gift shop. On display, they have ducks from the Soviet era, early Disney toys and a rubber ducky belonging to Sesame Street star Ernie. But a big draw — and what keeps the museum afloat — are the 3,000 ducks for sale. Most are whimsical, featuring celebrities and historical figures, and cartoon and holiday-themed characters.
But the ducks are no longer flying off the shelves. Since President Trump launched tariff wars on countries, including Canada and China, and began insisting Canada will be the 51st state, far fewer Canadian visitors have flocked to this U.S. outpost. After months of dismal sales, and now looking at 145% tariffs on goods from China, the Kings say they are packing up the ducks and moving them across the border into Canada.
"We've had a lot of regulars and loyal customers reach out to us throughout this whole thing the last couple of months, and they're pretty much all saying the exact same thing," Krystal said. "They feel very offended by a lot of the rhetoric coming out of the White House right now."
Relations soured between the two countries in February when President Trump, in a phone call to then Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, questioned the validity of the border treaty between the U.S. and Canada. Trump also mentioned his dislike of the long-standing water-sharing agreements between the two countries, and negotiations over several deals have since been put on pause.
President Trump has said tariffs are to stop countries that he says are taking advantage of the U.S., including Canada, and to strengthen the nation's economic position.
Many Canadians see it differently.
"What he [Trump] wants is to see a total collapse of the Canadian economy, because that'll make it easier to annex us," Trudeau told the news media in March.
After Washington imposed 25% tariffs on Canada, Ottawa answered in kind. Trudeau urged Canadians to stay home and spend their money domestically. And that's just what many have done.
"They don't like their sovereignty being threatened," Krystal said. "They feel like the only tool they have is boycotting the United States and keeping those tourist dollars out of there."
It appears to be working. In March, the number of cars going through the busy border crossing in Blaine, Wash., was down nearly 28% compared to the previous year, according to the U.S. Bureau of Transportation Statistics. (Canadians make up the largest number of international visitors to the U.S., and last year they generated $20.5 billion in spending, according to the nonprofit U.S. Travel Association.) But it's also true that the Canadian dollar has fallen in value—though it has recently clawed back some of its losses—making the U.S. more expensive and less attractive.
"I'd say it's a pretty effective tool," Krystal said, referring to the boycott. Normally, the small town's streets are bustling with Canadians who love to cross the border for cheaper food and gas. These days the shops and restaurants are nearly empty.
"Every conversation we've had, they've been very polite in true Canadian fashion," she said. "Very apologetic that it'll affect us personally. But yeah, they're feeling very strongly right now about this issue."
There are other factors at work. Nearly all the ducks the Kings sell in their gift shop are made in China, so they are subject to the 145% tariffs that President Trump placed on China and went into effect last month.
There is a limit on how much someone is going to pay for a rubber duck, the business owners said.
"We already have to keep our prices artificially low because of the Canadian dollar versus the U.S. dollar," Krystal said. "So our customers coming in already have compromised buying power."
The Kings, who opened up the museum almost a year ago, said they simply can't afford to keep the Rubber Duck Museum open in Point Roberts. But they don't want to close their doors either. "It is so unique, so fun," Neil said. "The people that come in just laugh and laugh … and we just don't want to lose that."
This summer, they plan to move the museum collection and shop just across the border into Canada and reopen there. They won't have to pay the 145% tariffs on the ducks from China. And they won't be at the whims of international diplomacy, or the lack of it. They'll continue to live in Point Roberts, the place they call home and where they are raising their 3-year-old daughter.
Even if President Trump were to suddenly drop the tariffs, the Kings said they would still move their little museum to Canada.
"It's just the instability of, you know, waking up every day and going, 'Is today a tariff day or not?' " Neil said. "It just isn't a sustainable business model for any small business, let alone a small business that is reliant on Canadian tourism."
"It's not the step we wanted to take, honestly," Krystal added. "We love having our quaint little shop here. It means so much to us… But it's not a choice between moving the ducks to Canada or keeping them here. It's a choice between moving to Canada or closing."
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