Analysis: Escalation will test Trump-Carney relationship
Trump is once again turning on Canada, America’s closest ally, and proving just how flippant his trade decisions are.
Prime Minister Mark Carney’s self-confidence persuaded Canadians to vote for him in this year’s election.
He certainly showed up to stand up to Trump, but his recent dealings with the US president have been largely diplomatic and cordial.
Carney was last in the Oval Office just over two weeks ago, and the two men mocked Trump’s obsession with Canada becoming the “51st state.”
But now it’s a single ad from the Ontario government that has prompted Trump to halt all trade negotiations between the two, calling his anti-tariff stance “egregious” on his social media platform Truth Social.
The ad uses the voice of Ronald Reagan to attack tariff policy – arguing that trade barriers “hurt every American worker and consumer… markets shrink and collapse, businesses and industries close their doors, and millions lose their jobs.”
But now the Ronald Reagan Foundation has said the ad “distorts” its words – and it has not given permission to use it.
Just hours before Trump’s post, Carney jokingly encouraged Trump to bet on the outcome of baseball’s World Series.
Given this latest escalation from the president tonight, their next interaction will be far from amusing.