Canadian PM Carney tells Trump administration to ‘stop doing memes’ amid trade tensions

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney on Tuesday hit back at the Trump administration’s latest attacks, urging Washington to “stop doing memes, stop throwing shade and stop trying to be tough” and instead return to serious trade negotiations.

Carney said talks with the United States could resume if Washington demonstrated a genuine willingness to negotiate, but warned that the terms previously sought by the Trump administration could leave Canadian industries “gradually wound down in Canada and wiped out.”

“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,” Carney said. “It’s not constructive, but that’s their democracy.”

His remarks followed a fresh escalation in tensions since trade negotiations collapsed on August 21. President Donald Trump has mocked Canada on social media, proposed renaming Lake Ontario “Lake America” and repeatedly pushed his idea of making Canada the 51st US state.

US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has also warned that Canada could not go “tit for tat” with an economy 13 times its size.

US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth meanwhile drew Carney’s criticism after posting an image of two female Canadian military cadets at a British Columbia training centre with the caption “this is real” alongside a Canadian flag. Carney called the post “beneath their office,” while the Pentagon defended it, saying, “The X post speaks for itself.”

Carney said Washington’s demands would have effectively turned some Canadian industries into subsidiaries of US companies or placed them under conditions that would see them “gradually wound down in Canada and wiped out.”

“We’re not going to — of course, we’re not going to accept those terms,” he said.

The prime minister said the US had sought an “uncompetitive” arrangement for major sectors such as automobiles while also pressing for changes affecting French-language and cultural protections. He said any one of those demands would have been enough to prevent an agreement.

Washington also sought restrictions on Canada’s ability to negotiate future trade agreements, Carney said.

“Canada is a sovereign state. We will strike free trade deals with the countries we wish to strike free trade deals,” he said.

Carney acknowledged that the negotiations had included some “mutually beneficial” elements before they broke down.

The prime minister also received a political boost after his Liberal Party won all three special elections held Monday, including a decisive victory in Quebec’s Chicoutimi-Le Fjord. The Conservatives finished third in the riding.

The results gave the Liberals 173 of the 343 seats in the House of Commons, strengthening Carney’s political position as he confronts Washington over trade and Canadian sovereignty.

Nelson Wiseman, professor emeritus of political science at the University of Toronto, said Trump’s repeated annexation rhetoric has particular resonance in Quebec.

“Quebecers have the most to lose in an apocalyptic scenario where the US absorbs Canada, and the status of the French language disappears,” Wiseman said.

Trade tensions escalated after negotiations failed to produce an agreement, prompting Trump to impose 50% tariffs on about $20 billion worth of Canadian goods. Canada’s retaliatory tariffs on nearly $20 billion of US products are scheduled to take effect on September 8, with duties ranging from 15% to 50%.

Trump has repeatedly floated the idea of making Canada the 51st US state, a proposal Ottawa has firmly rejected.