Carney says U.S.-Canada trade talks turned “nasty” after Trump criticized Canada’s leadership

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said Thursday that U.S.-Canada trade negotiations have turned “nasty” after President Donald Trump criticized Canada’s leadership and indicated he would expand tariffs, escalating rhetoric during talks between the two countries.

Carney’s comments were directed at the tenor of the discussions, which he said deteriorated following Trump’s public remarks about Canada and its government leadership, according to The Washington Times.

The dispute centers on trade policy and the threat of additional tariff expansion, which Carney linked to a sharp shift in how the negotiations have been conducted and how both sides are engaging publicly.

Trump’s criticism of Canada and its leadership, coupled with his tariff warning, appears to have altered the tone of the talks in a way Carney described as confrontational, with negotiations increasingly shaped by public statements rather than only private bargaining.

The remarks raise the stakes for both countries because the U.S. and Canada are closely linked through cross-border supply chains and economic activity, and changes to tariff levels can affect pricing, business planning, and the predictability of market access.

Carney did not outline new negotiating terms in the reporting, but his characterization suggested a growing breakdown in goodwill that could complicate efforts to reach an agreement or to contain tariff-driven costs during the remaining course of the talks.

With tariff expansion repeatedly flagged as part of the pressure campaign, the next step will likely be how negotiators respond to the public confrontation, including whether the parties can reset their posture ahead of any concrete proposals or deadlines for trade-policy changes.