With proposed 50% tariffs set to take effect in two weeks, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney turned President Trump’s own words back on him Thursday, describing the ongoing trade negotiations between the two countries as “nasty.”
Speaking to reporters in a mix of French and English, Carney laughed off a question about Trump’s repeated use of the word during a recent speech before offering his own take. “Yes, this is a tough negotiation,” he said. “We can change the adjective. You can say ‘nasty.’ But I mean, this is a question of Canadian jobs. It’s a question of the future of Canadian businesses.”
Trump had used the word repeatedly to describe Canada during a speech in Las Vegas on Wednesday, claiming that Canada and other countries have long used tariffs unfairly against the United States. “Canada’s nasty. They are. They’re nasty,” Trump said. “I love the people, but they’re nasty. Nasty leadership.”
The exchange comes at a precarious economic moment for Canada. After declining to extend the North American free trade agreement with Canada and Mexico for another 16 years, Trump signed an order last month imposing 50% tariffs on a broad range of Canadian goods valued at roughly $20 billion. He has said the move was partly a response to Canada’s earlier retaliation against U.S. tariffs of up to 50% on Canadian steel, aluminum and automobiles.
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Despite Trump’s characterization of Canada, Carney said he remains in regular contact with the American president. “It’s easy for me to speak with Mr. Trump if necessary,” Carney said in French. “Last week, for example, we had a conversation and we will surely have other conversations when it’s necessary.”
While the U.S. has not scheduled formal trade talks with Canada in the way it has with Mexico, Canadian trade minister Dominic LeBlanc and chief trade negotiator Janice Charette met Thursday afternoon in Washington with U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer, following a similar session held the previous week.
LeBlanc described the meeting in a social media post as constructive and detailed, though he offered no further specifics. His office noted the meeting ran roughly an hour longer than its originally scheduled 30 minutes.
Carney said Thursday that Canada is not interested in reaching a narrow trade agreement covering only isolated issues with the U.S. “We’re not interested in a very targeted deal,” he said. “We’re interested in a more comprehensive deal, more global deal.” He added, “Will we get all that by the 19th of August? We’ll see. But we want to have pathways in order to get that.”
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Carney also took a lighthearted jab at Trump on Wednesday after his own teleprompter malfunctioned mid-speech. “I would like to inform you that the teleprompter has ceased to function,” he said. “Unlike a certain world leader, I do not view this as a conspiracy.” The remark referenced an incident last September in which Trump’s teleprompter failed during a speech to the United Nations General Assembly, prompting him to suggest UN staff had deliberately sabotaged him.
