U.S. President Donald Trump sharply criticized Canada and its leadership during a speech in Las Vegas, repeatedly describing the country’s leadership as “nasty” while defending his administration’s tariff policies.
Speaking at an event promoting his tax relief agenda, Trump argued that the United States had long been treated unfairly in global trade and singled out Canada among several countries.
“I love tariffs… We’ve been screwed by tariffs for years… Canada’s nasty. They are. They’re nasty. I love the people, but they’re nasty. Nasty leadership,” Trump said.
Trump used the term “nasty” multiple times while praising his administration’s use of tariffs to protect American industries.
Prime Minister Mark Carney responded to the remarks on Thursday, saying the comments reflected the reality of a difficult trade negotiation.
“Whatever adjective is used, we’re standing up for Canadian workers and Canadian businesses as we always have,” Carney said, adding that he spoke with Trump last week and expects further discussions.
The exchange follows Carney’s own light-hearted jab at Trump a day earlier, when he joked about a teleprompter malfunction during a housing announcement, saying, “Unlike a certain world leader, I do not view this as a conspiracy.”
The comments come as Canada and the United States continue negotiations ahead of August 19, when the Trump administration plans to impose 50 per cent tariffs on a range of Canadian exports. The proposed tariffs would affect products including alcohol, hockey equipment, cement and other goods.
Meanwhile, Canada-U.S. Trade Minister Dominic LeBlanc and chief trade negotiator Janice Charette are in Washington for another round of talks with U.S. officials, including meetings with U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer, as both sides seek to resolve ongoing trade disputes before the tariff deadline.that the traditional rules-based international order is under increasing pressure as major powers use economic ties as geopolitical leverage.
