Carney: Canada never believed trade deal existed with US

Canada's Prime Minister Carney is holding his position, stating:

• When asked about US officials insulting Canada, Carney said: 'It's beneath their office'
• Trade discussions can resume only when Americans stop creating memes, stop disparaging, stop acting tough, and become serious, according to Carney.
• The terms proposed by the US in negotiations would have forced Canadian industries to either become American subsidiaries or be shut down.
• Carney said Canada never believed it had a full trade deal with the US during the talks it walked away from.

In response to the breakdown of trade talks, President Trump renamed Lake Ontario to Lake America. Treasury Secretary Bessette has also made dismissive comments:

• On August 31, Bessent dismissed Canada's ability to retaliate: 'I don’t think you can be in a tit-for-tat with someone who’s 13 times larger than you are.'
• On the same date, Bessent mocked Canada's military, joking about Canada deploying submarines from the Edmonton mall against the United States. When the interviewer mentioned that Canada maintained it was doing okay, he responded dismissively.

Earlier examples include:

• On January 24, 2026, Trump called Carney 'Governor Carney,' a label that reinforced his suggestion that Canada should become the 51st state, diminishing its status as an independent country.
• In January 2026, Trump posted a doctored map showing Canada, Greenland, Venezuela, and Cuba as US territory, a direct instance of the memes and social media taunts Carney referenced earlier.
• At Davos in January 2026, Trump stated: 'Canada lives because of the United States.'