Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney speaks to the press after suspending trade negotiations with the United States in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, August 22, 2026.
Chris Tanouye | Reuters
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney on Tuesday accused the Trump administration of “meme-ing” and “throwing shade” at his country as the trade war escalates.
Carney’s comments came in response to a reporter’s question about Trump officials mocking the Canadian military in social media posts and comments and President Donald Trump signing an executive order directing Lake Ontario to be renamed “American Lakes” for federal use.
“There always exists a positive opportunity with the United States to enter into a mutually beneficial trade agreement that respects Canada’s sovereignty and respects Canada’s right to protect and promote Québec’s culture and the French language,” the prime minister said.
“When Americans stop memeing, stop throwing shade, stop trying to be tough and start having serious discussions, then we can have those discussions,” Carney said in Ottawa about trade.
“But look, it’s not constructive, but that’s their democracy.”
Carney also responded to a question about President Trump’s cabinet members disrespecting the Canadian military, saying, “That’s beneath their mandate.”
The prime minister’s comments came a day after U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent mocked Canada and its military in an interview with CNBC at the G20 finance ministers’ meeting in Asheville, North Carolina.
During that interview, Mr. Bessent was asked about market doubts about whether the U.S. was in a “retaliatory trade war with Canada,” to which he replied, “Well, I don’t think you can retaliate with someone that’s 13 times bigger than you.”
“I think it’s very unfortunate that Carney has turned this into something like a political tirade,” Bessent said.
“So we’re not at war with Canada. Why would we be at war with Canada?” asked the Treasury Secretary. “What, they’re going to take two submarines out of Edmonton Mall and attack us?”
On Monday night, U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth posted a message to X with a Canadian flag emoji and the words “(this is real)” above a photo of a female cadet receiving a medal from a female instructor at the Vernon Cadet Training Center. This training center is aimed at Canadian youth.
The tweet was widely perceived by users who responded to the post as Hegseth body-shaming the instructor.
“Wow. The Secretary of Defense is a group of body-shaming cadets. It’s a group of young people. This is not a military unit. These are kids looking for adventure, testing themselves, and aligning themselves with the values of service,” wrote X user Danny O’Regan, who identifies himself as a Canadian military veteran. “Don’t be Pete.”
U.S. and Canadian officials have been in a war of words since late August, when trade negotiations between the two countries broke down.
On August 22, the United States imposed 50% tariffs on some $20 billion worth of Canadian imports.
Three days later, Canada announced that it would impose tariffs ranging from 15% to 50% on more than 700 U.S. products on a “dollar-for-dollar” basis compared to U.S. tariffs. These retaliatory tariffs are scheduled to go into effect on September 8th.
