On Sunday’s The Weekend: Primetime, MS NOW welcomed former Canadian Deputy PM Chrystia Freeland—an MSNBC regular in her days as a journalist for the Financial Times and Reuters —to lament what she portrayed as a breakdown in U.S.-NATO trust under President Trump. Before getting there, Freeland set the tone with a gush of flattery—thanking host Catherine Rampell for the “great show” and praising her writing. Not subtle. But the most revealing moment came when Freeland tried to reassure viewers that Canadians still admire Americans. And of all places, she chose Minneapolis: “The people of Minneapolis are so admired in Canada. And if you're from Minneapolis and you're watching this show, I guarantee you, you will never have to pay for a beer if you come on holiday in Canada. Just say where you're from.” Free beer—for Minneapolis. Not a random pick. Minneapolis has become a showcase for leftist policies on policing, immigration, and welfare—policies that have produced exactly the kind of dire results many Americans warned about. It has also been ground zero for massive fraud. Start with the Feeding Our Future scandal—a roughly $250 million scheme in which dozens of defendants were charged with looting federal child nutrition funds through fake meal counts, bogus rosters, and shell operations. WATCH: Freeland to Minneapolis: ‘Free Beer’ in Canada pic.twitter.com/UcdKSmgcrG — Mark Finkelstein (@markfinkelstein) April 20, 2026 And it didn’t stop there. Minnesota has seen major abuse allegations across multiple programs—housing services, autism treatment, childcare assistance—running up tens or even hundreds of millions more. Many of the most prominent cases have involved immigrant networks within the Somali community—an outrage compounded by officials who, rather than cracking down, too often looked the other way. So if Canada is now advertising “free beer” to Minneapolis visitors, it might want to be careful what it’s inviting in. To Americans outraged over illegal immigration and massive fraud by immigrant networks in Minnesota and beyond, Freeland's free beer isn't a compliment—it’s a provocation. Freeland’s sweeping claim that Canadians will line up to buy beers for Minneapolis visitors is a huge stretch. Maybe that flies in Toronto faculty lounges—though the drink on offer there is more likely a spot of sherry than a beer. Out on ranches in Saskatchewan or Alberta, Minneapolis visitors expecting a free Molson might get a very different reception. Here's the transcript. MS NOW The Weekend: Primetime 4/19/26 6:18 pm EDT CATHERINE RAMPELL: Trump calls NATO useless and a paper tiger. says he told them to stay away. And yet, we are barreling into week eight of a war with no end in sight and continuous flip-flops over the opening of the important Strait of Hormuz.  So what impact could all of this have on the U.S.? Not only is Trump pushing away from NATO, the U.K. and France are refusing to join the blockade on Iranian ports, a move that likely further strains that alliance.  Joining us now to discuss, Honorable Chrystia Freeland, former Deputy Prime Minister of Canada and former finance minister.  Chrystia, thank you so much for joining us. It looks like Trump's fighting against NATO is exposing a significant rift in this alliance.  Can you help our audience understand the real-world consequences if, in fact, Trump walks away from NATO or even just leaves the U.S.  commitment in doubt?  CHRYSTIA FREELAND: Well, thanks for the question, Catherine, and thanks for the great show. Also, I love your writing.  . . .  AYMAN MOHYELDIN: So if I can ask you about the issue of trust here, because it seems that there was always a of trust between American allies and the United States that was the cornerstone of this kind of security posture, this north Atlantic security posture.  With Donald Trump, it seems that that trust has been somewhat eroded. A, do you agree with that? And B, is there a way to restore trust in the wake of a Trump presidency.  FREELAND: Ayman, that is the core question. Um, there was a poll done in Canada in february and Canadians were asked what country poses the greatest threats to Canada.  55% said the United States.  MOHYELDIN: Wow.  FREELAND: 15% said China, 15% said Russia. That is heartbreaking to me! We are friends. We are allies. We're neighbors. We have been for all of our history. I would say the Canada-U.S. relationship is probably most successful relationship in history between two countries.  And the trust has been extremely great. There's actually a library on the Canada-U.S. border where half is in Canada and half is in the United States.  That's how close we are. But that trust is being broken. I mean, what Canadians are seeing right now is that president is treating America's traditional allies with more disrespect, with more contempt, than he is treating America's adversaries.  I would say right now, China is being treated with more respect than NATO allies are being treated.  People see that. What gives me hope, is Canadians certainly recognize that America is bigger than any one administration.  And there is still so much we see in America that we admire. The people of Minneapolis are so admired in Canada. And if you're from Minneapolis and you're watching this show, I guarantee you, you will never have to pay for a beer if you come on holiday to Canada [Mohyeldin and Antonia Hylton chuckle.]  Just say where you're from.