The Memo: Americans brace for Canada-style COVID-19 protests

The trucker-led protest against COVID-19 restrictions in Canada is spreading — and American political observers of all stripes believe something similar is bound to take hold in the United States.

If that happens, it will add one more fractious clash to the American debate over COVID-19, which is already so bitter and polarized.

It will also come at a point when President Biden is in a tricky political spot.

entative plans are taking shape for an American equivalent to the Canadian “Freedom Convoy” that was initially centered on Ottawa but has expanded to three border crossings.

The most prominent American plan, though still unconfirmed, is for a “People’s Convoy” that would travel from California to Washington, perhaps in early March.

The Canadian protest began as a reaction to a requirement for truckers to be vaccinated in order to cross the U.S. border. But it has grown into a much larger cause, pushing back against COVID-19 restrictions writ large.