WASHINGTON — President Trump spoke Friday with Canada’s new prime minister as the US prepares to slap 25% tariffs on all Canadian imports — and referred to Mark Carney by his title, dropping the “governor” moniker he applied to predecessor Justin Trudeau.
“I just finished speaking with Prime Minister Mark Carney, of Canada,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.
“It was an extremely productive call, we agree on many things, and will be meeting immediately after Canada’s upcoming Election to work on elements of Politics, Business, and all other factors, that will end up being great for both the United States of America and Canada,” Trump said. “Thank you for your attention to this matter!”
Carney’s office issued a less-conciliatory statement, saying that the PM “informed [Trump] that his government will implement retaliatory tariffs to protest Canadian workers and our economy, following the announcement of additional US trade actions on April 2.”
Trump brushed off the statement when asked about it Friday afternoon in the Oval Office.
“We’re going to end up with a very good relationship with Canada and a lot of the other countries,” the president told reporters.
The president famously butted heads with Canadian former Prime Minister Trudeau, who Trump derisively referred to as “Governor” while claiming the US’s northern neighbor would be better off as America’s 51st state. Carney replaced Trudeau earlier this month.
Trump recently announced a new 25% tariff on Canadian, Chinese and Mexican imports but delayed adoption of the levies on most Canadian and Mexican imports until April 2.
Carney, a member of Trudeau’s Liberal Party, is a former chairman of Bloomberg Inc.’s board of directors and has called for new elections April 28.
Trump, in his first term, led a renegotiation of the NAFTA trade pact between the US, Canada and Mexico, with the new deal known as USMCA, after objecting to policies he said incentivized the outsourcing of American manufacturing.
Trump’s second-term tariff threats against the US’s neighbors were premised initially because of fentanyl smuggling and illegal immigration, but he has since more broadly cited US trade imbalances with both nations and said the steep fees would return industry to the States.
He also has objected to protectionist Canadian policies on banking and agricultural products — and scoffed at the necessity of importing the northern neighbor’s lumber and energy products.
