Carney Stands Firm Against Trump Criticism

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney has firmly rejected claims that he softened his criticism of US President Donald Trump, making it clear that he stands by his controversial remarks delivered at the World Economic Forum in Davos.

Speaking to reporters in Ottawa on Tuesday, Carney confirmed that he had a phone conversation with President Trump but denied assertions by US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent that he had withdrawn or revised parts of his Davos speech. “I want to be absolutely clear—I knowingly said what I said in Davos, and I conveyed the same message,” Carney said, adding that he had told this directly to President Trump.

Earlier, Bessent had claimed in an interview that Carney retreated from his Davos comments during the phone call with Trump. Carney dismissed the claim outright.

Carney’s Davos speech had drawn global attention after he criticized, without naming Trump, what he described as an “undisciplined superpower” for creating cracks in the post-war global order. Trump responded the following day by saying, “Canada exists because of the United States.”

According to Carney, the phone call with Trump covered a range of issues, including Ukraine, Venezuela, Arctic security, China-Canada trade relations, and the Canada–Mexico–United States Agreement (USMCA). He described the discussion as “very constructive.”

Later, speaking in the House of Commons, Carney said a review of the USMCA would begin within the next few weeks. “The world has changed. Washington has changed. In the United States, very little can now be described as normal,” he told lawmakers.

Meanwhile, in an interview with Fox News, US Treasury Secretary Bessent criticized Canada for engaging in trade talks with China, arguing that Canada is far more dependent on north–south trade with the US than east–west trade. He also urged Carney to abandon what he called a “globalist agenda.”

The comments came amid Trump’s threat to impose 100 percent tariffs on Canada if it allows Chinese goods to enter the US by bypassing tariffs. Under a recent agreement, China reduced tariffs on Canadian canola oil from 85 percent to 15 percent, while Canada agreed to lower tariffs on a limited number of Chinese electric vehicles from 100 percent to 6.1 percent.

Carney clarified that Canada is not pursuing a free trade agreement with China and said Trump’s tariff threat is likely a pressure tactic ahead of USMCA negotiations.