After lashing out at Canada on social media, US President Donald Trump struck a friendlier tone in person as he welcomed Canada’s new Prime Minister Mark Carney to the White House on Tuesday, praising his election victory and performance in recent debates.
“I just want to congratulate you," Trump told Carney on his election win as they met in front of reporters. "Ran a really great race. I watched the debate. I thought you were excellent.”
As the two countries struggle over a trade war sparked by Trump's tariff hikes, the US president gave a full display of his unique mix of graciousness and aggression, AP reports.
However, shortly before the new Canadian prime minister’s arrival, Trump posted on Truth Social, “I very much want to work with him, but cannot understand one simple TRUTH — Why is America subsidising Canada by $200 Billion Dollars a year, in addition to giving them FREE Military Protection, and many other things?”
He added, “We don’t need their Cars, we don’t need their Energy, we don’t need their Lumber, we don’t need ANYTHING they have, other than their friendship, which hopefully we will always maintain.”
Trump said that questioning the need for any Canadian goods “will be, most likely, my only question of consequence.”
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Carney, a former central bank governor in both Canada and the UK, became prime minister after pledging to push back against Trump’s hostile rhetoric. Despite his calm, economist’s manner, Carney has taken a firm stance in response to Trump’s increasing antagonism.
Tensions have escalated after Trump suggested turning Canada into the 51st US state, imposed steep tariffs on Canadian exports, and questioned the legitimacy of the border.
His remarks sparked backlash in Canada, contributing to a surprise electoral victory for Carney’s Liberal Party last month.
In a recent interview on NBC’s ‘Meet the Press’, Trump dismissed the US-Canada border as an “artificial line” separating two territories that could form a “beautiful country.”