Trump’s been lobbing insults at Canada’s leader for more than a year. Now Carney is hitting back

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In May 2025, when President Donald Trump raised his well-worn threat of making Canada the 51st state to the country’s then-newly elected leader, Prime Minister Mark Carney replied calmly with a smile.

“As you know from real estate, there are some places that are never for sale,” he said, prompting a laugh from Trump, as the two leaders addressed reporters in the Oval Office.

The conciliatory tone Carney exhibited during that first meeting at the White House has largely defined his approach to dealing with Trump, even as the trade war between the long-time allies has deepened and the US leader’s attacks on Canada have intensified.

While Trump has lobbed insult after insult at the man he often calls “governor,” Carney has maintained a good-natured posture toward his US counterpart while advocating for Canada in trade negotiations and on the world stage.

But 18 months into Carney’s tenure, with trade talks once-again stalled and a flashy new alliance blooming with the European Union , the Canadian leader appears to be done taking the high road.

In a now-viral moment, Carney mocked Trump’s signature “accordion-style” hand gestures during a speech Friday to members of his Liberal Party in Ottawa.

Speaking about a major new clean energy deal, which Carney said was the “functional equivalent of 18 Hoover Dams,” he outstretched his hands, mimicking the Trump-style gesture.

“18 Hoover Dams,” Carney repeated with a knowing smile, prompting roucous laughter from the room.

Canada PM Carney pokes fun at Trump’s hand gestures during speech

The speech is a stark example of a broader tone shift by Carney, who in recent months appears to have become more comfortable poking fun at the US leader.

The change in tack, which comes as Canada has introduced retaliatory tariffs on the US following the collapse of trade talks in August, is a sign Carney may be moving away from a strategy of diplomacy and, at times, appeasement, which has not paid off.

“Carney has taken his fair share of insults from the President of the United States, and he’s now swapping his central banker caution for increasingly subtle but pointed shots at Trump,” said Fen Hampson, chancellor’s professor and co-chair of the Expert Group on Canada-US Relations at Ottawa’s Carleton University.

“I wouldn’t say the gloves are exactly off, but he’s loosening them.”

Carney, a career technocrat who was first elected to public office in 2025, is “developing a bit of a taste for the political punchline,” Hampson added.

Jim Watson/AFP/Getty Images

Carney first came to power with the goal of smoothing over the relationship with Washington, which had become fractious under his predecessor Justin Trudeau as Trump began threatening to annex Canada early into his second term.

Carney maintained this approach even as US-Canada relations deteriorated and the economic rift between the neighbors grew.

During a meeting in October 2025, Carney flattered Trump , calling him a “transformative president” and commending his efforts as a global peace broker, while Trump praised the prime minister as a tough negotiator and “world class leader.”

In seeking tariff relief for Canada, Carney capitulated to Trump by boosting efforts to combat fentanyl trafficking to the US — despite Canada making up just 0.2% of US border seizures of the drug — and dropping a planned digital services tax that would target US tech companies. He apologized to Trump for an anti-tariff ad that angered the US leader so much he ended trade talks.

Carney often appeared chummy with Trump, swapping seats with him at the G7 in France earlier this year when the president complained about having the “lowest chair.” He also publicly backed Trump on thorny foreign policy issues such as the US war in Iran.

And in May, Carney continued to preach the benefits of cooperation with the US, adopting Trump’s own language when telling business leader in New York that a stronger Canada will “make America great again.”

Meanwhile, Trump, known for lambasting his political opponents, intensified his attacks on Canada and its leader, repeatedly referring to Carney as “governor” or just “Mark”; calling him “nasty” and “ungrateful”; and even posting an AI-generated hockey meme of Trump standing over an injured-looking Carney on the ice yelling at him to “get up.”

Carney has remained mostly tight-lipped through Trump’s personal attacks. But in recent months, he’s shown he can dish it back.

Carney insists closer Canada-EU ties aren’t meant to create a US rival with ‘better manners’

He reacted sharply when Trump’s Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth mocked members of Canada’s youth cadet program in a post to X, sparking backlash on both sides of the border.

“Stop doing memes, stop throwing shade, stop trying to be tough,” Carney told reporters, in a message directed at the Trump administration.

Carney exhibited this looser, blunter tone during his speech to European Parliament last week, after the trading bloc invited Canada to become its first “associate member,” prompting a fresh tariff threat from Trump.

“I’m not proposing a third bloc in order to become a great power rival, only with better manners,” Carney said in Strasbourg, France.

Carney made another thinly veiled jab at the president in August, when his teleprompter conked out during a news briefing, saying “unlike a certain world leader, I do not view this as a conspiracy.” (When Trump’s teleprompter failed at the United Nations General Assembly last year, he claimed it was “sabotage.” )

Eric Van Rythoven, a professor of political science at Carleton University, said Carney has introduced some “gentle mockery” into his diplomatic posture towards Trump.

“He did all that conciliatory diplomatic work, and it didn’t get him anywhere. So that calls for a new strategy,” said Van Rythoven, who researches the role of mockery in international relations.

“Trump is notoriously thin-skinned and extremely sensitive to any kind of disrespect,” said Van Rythoven — particularly from someone like Carney who is popular both at home and abroad.

Beyond irking Trump, mocking the US leader plays well for Carney domestically, said Imran Bayoumi, a deputy director at the Atlantic Council’s Scowcroft Center for Strategy and Security.

“The Canadian population is supportive of his approach to stand up for Canadian interests, even if that means breaking with the United States, its long-time partner and close neighbor,” he said.

In a recent poll by Canadian analytics firm Leger, 41% of Canadians said they now consider the US an enemy country, up 15 points from June 2025. Most (64%) said their opinion would change if Trump was no longer in office.

While it may get laughs, Carney’s new strategy toward Trump could signal an even icier era for relations, Van Rythoven said.

“The fact that you have a sitting prime minister who is openly mocking the US president marks a dramatic low point in the relationship,” he said.

Some analysts, however, say the words may not do lasting damage.

As a “reality show figure,” Trump is no stranger to personal dustups, which could make it easier for him and Carney to make amends, said Asa McKercher, Hudson Chair in Canada-US Relations at St. Francis Xavier University in Canada’s Nova Scotia province.

“He’s used to rough and tumble relations with other people,” McKercher said, citing how Trump has elevated people to his cabinet who once mocked him.

“Bygones could be bygones, a deal could be struck, and things could be patched up.”

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2025 年 5 月，当唐纳德·特朗普总统再次威胁要将加拿大变成美国的第 51 个州时，时任加拿大总理马克·卡尼面带微笑，平静地回应道。

“正如你们从房地产行业所了解的那样，有些地方永远不会出售，”他说，这番话引得特朗普大笑。当时，两位领导人正在椭圆形办公室向记者发表讲话。

卡尼在白宫首次会晤中表现出的和解语气，在很大程度上决定了他与特朗普打交道的方式，即便这对长期盟友之间的贸易战不断加深，美国领导人对加拿大的攻击也愈演愈烈。

尽管特朗普对这位他经常称之为“州长”的人进行了一连串的侮辱，但卡尼一直对他的美国同行保持着友好的姿态，同时在贸易谈判和国际舞台上为加拿大争取权益。

但卡尼上任 18 个月后，贸易谈判再次陷入僵局，而与欧盟之间又建立起一个引人注目的新联盟，这位加拿大领导人似乎已经放弃了走高姿态的做法。

在一段迅速走红的视频中，卡尼周五在渥太华向自由党成员发表讲话时，模仿了特朗普标志性的“手风琴式”手势。

卡尼谈到一项重大的新清洁能源协议时，称其“相当于 18 个胡佛水坝”，他伸出双手，模仿特朗普式的手势。

“18座胡佛水坝，”卡尼带着意味深长的微笑重复道，引得房间里爆发出哄堂大笑。

加拿大总理卡尼在演讲中嘲讽特朗普的手势

卡尼的这番演讲鲜明地体现了他整体语气的转变，近几个月来，他似乎越来越乐于拿美国领导人开玩笑。

在加拿大于 8 月份贸易谈判破裂后对美国实施报复性关税之际，加拿大改变了策略，这表明卡尼可能正在放弃外交手段，有时甚至是绥靖政策，因为这些政策并没有取得成效。

“卡尼已经受到了美国总统的不少侮辱，现在他不再像以前那样谨慎地对待央行行长，而是越来越委婉但又直指特朗普，”渥太华卡尔顿大学校长教授、加美关系专家组联合主席芬·汉普森说道。

“我不会说他完全放开了手脚，但他正在放松警惕。”

汉普森补充说，卡尼是一位职业技术官僚，于 2025 年首次当选公职，他“似乎对政治笑话有点兴趣了”。

吉姆·沃森/法新社/盖蒂图片社

卡尼上任之初的目标是缓和与华盛顿的关系，此前，由于特朗普在其第二个任期初期就开始威胁要吞并加拿大，加美关系在他的前任贾斯汀·特鲁多领导下变得紧张。

即使美加关系恶化，两国经济裂痕加深，卡尼仍然坚持这一做法。

在 2025 年 10 月的一次会面中，卡尼奉承特朗普，称他是一位“变革型总统”，并赞扬他作为全球和平斡旋者的努力，而特朗普则称赞这位首相是一位强硬的谈判者和“世界级领导人”。

为了寻求对加拿大的关税减免，卡尼向特朗普妥协，加大了打击芬太尼走私到美国的力度——尽管加拿大仅占美国边境查获芬太尼总量的0.2%——并放弃了一项针对美国科技公司的数字服务税计划。他还就一则激怒特朗普的反关税广告向特朗普道歉，该广告激怒了这位美国领导人，导致贸易谈判破裂。

卡尼经常与特朗普表现得十分亲密，今年早些时候在法国举行的七国集团峰会上，当特朗普抱怨自己坐在“最低的椅子”时，卡尼还与他交换了座位。此外，卡尼还在一些棘手的外交政策问题上公开支持特朗普，例如美国在伊朗的战争。

5 月，卡尼继续宣扬与美国合作的好处，在纽约告诉一位商界领袖时，他采用了特朗普自己的措辞，称一个更强大的加拿大将“让美国再次伟大”。

与此同时，以猛烈抨击政治对手而闻名的特朗普加大了对加拿大及其领导人的攻击力度，反复称卡尼为“州长”或“马克”；称他“令人讨厌”和“忘恩负义”；甚至还发布了一张人工智能生成的冰球表情包，图中特朗普站在冰上受伤的卡尼上方，冲他大喊“起来”。

面对特朗普的人身攻击，卡尼一直保持沉默。但近几个月来，他已经展现出反击的实力。

卡尼坚称，加欧关系更加紧密并非旨在打造一个“更有礼貌”的美国竞争对手。

当特朗普的国防部长皮特·赫格塞斯在X网站上发帖嘲讽加拿大青年学员计划的成员时，他做出了强烈反应，引发了美加两国的强烈反弹。

卡尼对记者说：“别再做表情包了，别再冷嘲热讽了，别再装强硬了。” 这番话显然是针对特朗普政府的。

上周，在欧洲贸易集团邀请加拿大成为其第一个“联系成员”后，卡尼在向欧洲议会发表讲话时，展现了这种更轻松、更直率的语气，这引发了特朗普新的关税威胁。

“我提议建立第三个阵营，不是为了成为大国竞争对手，只是为了举止更加得体，”卡尼在法国斯特拉斯堡说道。

8月份，卡尼在一次新闻发布会上提词器突然失灵时，再次含蓄地讽刺了总统，他说：“与某位世界领导人不同，我不认为这是一场阴谋。”（去年特朗普在联合国大会上提词器失灵时，他声称这是“蓄意破坏”。）

卡尔顿大学政治学教授埃里克·范·里索文表示，卡尼在对特朗普的外交姿态中加入了“温和的嘲讽”。

“他做了那么多和解的外交努力，结果却一无所获。所以，他需要采取新的策略，”研究嘲讽在国际关系中作用的范·里索芬说道。

“特朗普出了名的敏感，对任何形式的不尊重都极其敏感，”范·里索芬说——尤其是来自像卡尼这样在国内和国际上都很受欢迎的人的不尊重。

大西洋理事会斯考克罗夫特战略与安全中心副主任伊姆兰·巴尤米表示，除了激怒特朗普之外，嘲讽这位美国领导人对卡尼在国内也很有好处。

他说：“加拿大民众支持他维护加拿大利益的做法，即使这意味着与加拿大的长期伙伴和近邻美国决裂。”

加拿大分析公司莱杰（Leger）最近的一项民意调查显示，41%的加拿大人表示他们现在认为美国是敌对国家，比2025年6月上升了15个百分点。大多数人（64%）表示，如果特朗普不再担任总统，他们的看法会改变。

范·里索芬表示，虽然卡尼对特朗普的新策略可能会引人发笑，但这可能预示着两国关系将进入一个更加冰冷的时代。

他说：“现任首相公开嘲讽美国总统，这标志着两国关系跌至谷底。”

不过，一些分析人士认为，这些言论可能不会造成持久的损害。

加拿大新斯科舍省圣弗朗西斯泽维尔大学加美关系哈德逊讲席教授阿萨·麦克切尔表示，作为“真人秀人物”，特朗普对个人纠纷并不陌生，这可能使他和卡尼更容易和解。

“他习惯了与其他人之间磕磕绊绊的关系，”麦克切尔说，并举例说，特朗普提拔了一些曾经嘲笑过他的人进入内阁。

“过去的事可以过去，可以达成协议，事情可以得到弥补。”