Pierre Poilievre, the leader of Canada’s Conservative Party, took down a left-wing journalist apparently attempting to ask him gotcha questions as he casually munched on an apple.
Poilievre, who could potentially defeat Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in an upcoming election, shut down all of the journalist’s questions as the reporter attempted to criticize his ideology and compare him to former President Donald Trump.
“On the topic, I mean, in terms of your strategy currently, you’re obviously taking the populist pathway,” the journalist told him.
“What does that mean?” Poilievre asked while munching on his apple.
“Well, appealing to people’s more emotional levels, I would guess,” the journalist said.
“What do you mean by that? Give me an example,” the Canadian Member of Parliament (MP) said.
“Certainly, you tap very strong ideological language quite frequently,” he answered. (RELATED: Canadian Opposition Leader Demands Apology After Trudeau Approved Recognition Of Nazi-Linked Ukrainian Soldier)
“Like what?” Poilievre asked.
The journalist said Poilievre uses the “ideological” terms “left-wing, this and that, right wing.” Poilievre denied using those terms and said he does not “believe in” talking about political sides in that way.
He then accused Poilievre of “taking a page out of the Donald Trump book.”
“Which people would say that?” he asked the journalist as he took another bite of the apple.
“Well, I’m sure a great many Canadians, but …” the reporter began.
“Like who?” Poilievre asked.
“I don’t know who,” he said.
“Well, you’re the one who asked the question, so you must know somebody,” Poilievre hit back.
“I’m sure there’s some out there, but anyways —” he said.
“Some people say,” Poilievre said under his breath.
Poilievre then pressed the journalist to give an example to support his claim that the lawmaker is “taking a page out of Donald Trump’s book.” The reporter accused Poilievre of making “quite a play” regarding his rhetoric on Trudeau and the Canadian left wing. The reporter then immediately switched to a different question after Poilievre told him he did not understand the question.
The conservative leader concluded the interview by saying Canadians should vote for him for “common sense” purposes. He lamented Trudeau for causing the “worst inflation in four decades” by allegedly printing money eight times faster than the economy.
Poilievre vowed to improve Canada’s economy by bringing down inflation, balancing the budget and returning the “buying power of your paycheck.”
Polls have found Poilievre to lead the three-term incumbent prime minister by wide margins, according to The Economic Times. One survey found 40% of respondents said Poilievre is the best choice over Trudeau to serve as the country’s prime minister.