Canadian PM tells Trump to 'stop trying to be tough' in trade fight

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said Monday that Americans need to "stop trying to be tough" during the countries' contentious trade negotiations.

Speaking to reporters in Ottawa about U.S.-Canadian trade negotiations over automobile tariffs, Carney said, "When the Americans stop doing memes, stop throwing shade, stop trying to be tough and start being serious about having those discussions, we can have those discussions." "Look, it's not constructive, but that's their democracy," Carney added.

TRUMP TAUNTS CANADA ON RENAMING LAKE ONTARIO THE 'LAKE AMERICA' AMID RISING BORDER TRADE RIFT After Canada suspended trade talks on Aug.

21, Trump signed an executive order changing the name of Lake Ontario, which is bordered by New York and Canada's Ontario province, to Lake America.

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and War Secretary Pete Hegseth also mocked Canada in social media posts, with Bessent writing that Canada could not go "tit-for-tat" with America's economy and Hegseth posting a photo of two female Canadian military members with the caption "this is real." When asked to comment on U.S.

Cabinet secretaries mocking the Canadian military, Carney responded, "It's beneath their office." Carney cited both the U.S. posture and its terms in negotiations and barriers to reaching a deal.

TRUMP TRADE CHIEF WARNS CANADA WALKED AWAY FROM 'THE BEST DEAL' TO TRIGGER 50% U.S.

TARIFFS "The issues with respect to language and culture — enough to not have to deal.

The issues Mr.

Gray just asked about, with respect to restrictions on future trade deals, restrictions on our sovereignty — enough not to have a deal.

Issues with respect to locking in an uncompetitive, trade arrangement in our key industries, automobiles being one of them — enough to not have a trade deal," he continued.

"And then the general attitude, and I’ll leave you with this, which I think this is a very important point, is that the attitude of the United States in these discussions and subsequently has been one that, the core Canadian industries either would be subsidiaries effectively of the United States industries or would put in place terms where those industries would be, gradually wound down in Canada and we're not going to of course, we're not going to accept those terms." Trump, following Carney's suspension of negotiations, accused Canada of wanting "the benefits of being a State, without being one!!!" In a post on Truth Social , Trump also said Canada has been taking advantage of the U.S. by charging U.S. farmers tariffs.

TRUMP MUST CLOSE THE BACK DOOR CHINA USES TO EXPLOIT NORTH AMERICAN TRADE Carney, for his part, said America's insistence that it have a say over who else Canada trades with was a bridge too far.

He also said the U.S.