The trade war between the U.S and Canada has taken yet another turn. This time, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney has lashed out against Trump officials after Pete Hegseth trolled a Canadian teen cadet receiving a medal.
Mark Carney has had enough. The Canadian Prime Minister has accused senior members of Donald Trump’s administration of acting more like internet trolls than serious negotiators, as the bitter trade dispute between the U.S and Canada shows no sign of calming down.
Carney’s comments came after two of Trump’s cabinet secretaries appeared to take public swipes at Canada’s military in recent days. And things didn’t get better after War Secretary Pete Hegseth posted an image on Monday night of a teenage cadet receiving a medal at a training center in British Columbia, captioning it, “This is real.”
He added a Canadian flag to the post, seemingly mocking the people shown in the picture and their appearance. The post quickly added another layer of tension to the already heated relationship between the US and Canada.
The Canadian military has become something of a new focal point for the Trump administration as the trade war continues.
Matt Carney slams Trump officials after Pete Hegseth trolls teen cadet getting a medal
On August 23, while appearing on Fox News, Transport Secretary Sean Duffy claimed that Canada doesn’t even have a military.
“It has a country that has a single-payer health care system that’s failing. They have record-high euthanasia rates,” Duffy said. “And so, to think that they’re going to go to war with Donald Trump and actually win that war with the U.S., I think it’s foolish on their part.
He continued, “And again, I think what the president is trying to do with Jamieson Greer, who, by the way, has done an amazing job representing the president and America, is we want fairness for the American worker. And some of our best friends are the worst offenders that treat us the worst.”
Moreover, Secretary Scott Bessent aimed at the Canadian military on Monday. He dismissed the idea of a “tit-for-tat” trade war with Canada, claiming that Canada’s economy is about 13 times smaller than the United States.”
“I mean, we’re not at war with Canada. How are we going to be at war with Canada?” Bessent said, per Newsweek. “What, they’re going to take their two submarines from the Edmonton Mall and sic them on us?”
“Stop doing memes”
He further accused Carney of turning the dispute into a “political shouting match” and pursuing what was best for himself and the Liberal Party rather than Canadians.
Now, Prime Minister Matt Carney has had enough. On Tuesday, he was asked about the U.S outbursts at his country and its military, accusing Washington of prioritizing ‘point-scoring’ over making actual progress.
“It’s beneath their office,” Carney said. “When the Americans stop doing memes, stop throwing shade and stop trying to be tough, and start being serious about having those discussions, we can have those discussions. It’s not constructive, but that’s their democracy.”
The latest tensions between the U.S and Canada began after trade talks broke down on August 21. Just one day later, President Donald Trump imposed a 50 percent tariff on around $20 billion in Canadian goods.
Trump takes swipe at Canada in trade war by renaming Lake Ontario
Canada quickly fired back with tariffs of its own, matching the U.S dollar for dollar. Those tariffs are set to take effect on September 8.
However, tensions didn’t stop there. Last week, shortly after Canada announced its plans to retaliate, Trump took another swipe at Canada by calling Lake Ontario “Lake America.”
Mark Carney has accused the U.S of trying to reshape Canada’s economy. Previously, he’s warned that the Trump administration could turn entire Canadian industries into little more than “subsidiaries” of the American economy, while putting other sectors at risk of disappearing altogether.
At the center of the dispute is a major question: How much is Canada willing to change its economy to keep access to the huge U.S market? Canada relies heavily on the United States, which buys the vast majority of the country’s exports.
Meanwhile, Trump has presented the wider standoff as part of his push to bring manufacturing back to America and reduce the country’s dependence on foreign supply chains. Time will tell if the two countries can both agree – and make amends.
Thoughts on this? Please share your opinion in the comment section
READ MORE
- Doctor explains low testosterone symptoms after Pete Hegseth orders mandatory military testing
- White House responds to claim Trump refuses to attend 9/11 memorial after being denied permission to speak
