Carney’s Diplomatic Blunder: Friendly Fire with Trump

Canadian flag on sky and cloud background

Canada’s new Prime Minister Mark Carney thought he scored big when he whipped up nationalist fervor to clinch his election. He took a page from the anti-American playbook, painting President Trump as the villain and himself as Canada’s savior from some imaginary annexation threat. But as Carney visits Washington this week, he’s quickly learning that scoring cheap political points at home has real-world consequences abroad.

Let’s set the record straight: President Trump never seriously proposed turning Canada into the 51st state. Trump’s remarks were classic Trump—bold, humorous, and provocative. It’s the “Art of the Deal,” a negotiation tactic to get Canada to finally step up and meet its NATO obligations and correct a lopsided trade imbalance. But Carney took the bait, and now he finds himself facing a president who knows exactly what he’s up to—and isn’t amused.

Canada’s neglect of its NATO responsibilities is no laughing matter. Back in 2014, NATO countries pledged to spend 2% of their GDP on defense. Yet more than a decade later, Canada remains one of the alliance’s worst offenders, clocking in at a paltry 1.37%. Despite repeated calls from President Trump—and even President Biden during his tenure—to honor their commitments, Canada has stubbornly refused to contribute their fair share. Instead, they’ve comfortably hidden beneath America’s protection, knowing full well that our military strength shields them from threats. This is freeloading, pure and simple.

And then there’s the trade imbalance—$63 billion in Canada’s favor. They happily sell us their crude oil, knowing we have the refining capacity to handle it, while refusing to reciprocate by importing more of our agricultural products. A balanced trade relationship isn’t just fair economics; it’s basic courtesy between neighbors and allies.

Victor Davis Hanson, writing for the Daily Signal, recently summarized Carney’s predicament perfectly:

“Carney could have had a statesmanlike message both during the election and when he saw Trump. He could have said this: ‘Donald Trump is trolling us. We’re friends with the United States. He’s trying to needle us so that we spend more money on NATO and we lower our surplus, which is growing very big. And we’re gonna do that. We’re gonna negotiate. Don’t take him serious. He’s just doing this like he did to Panama. We’re good friends. He kids us. We kid him.’ But he didn’t do that. He tried to whip it up. And it was successful. But once you whip it up and you get that hostility, then you’ve gotta go deal with him.”

Precisely. Carney’s shortsightedness has dug his country into a diplomatic hole—and now, he owns it.

This isn’t Trump’s first rodeo. Remember Greenland? Remember Panama? Trump employed similar tough-love tactics to keep Chinese influence at bay and protect American interests. It worked then, and it’s working now. But Carney, eager to score political points, missed the bigger picture. He chose temporary nationalism over long-term pragmatism.

The truth is, Trump’s approach has always put America first—but with fairness toward our allies who play by the rules. The president’s message to our neighbors has been consistent and clear: pay your fair share, trade fairly, and honor your commitments. Canada, under Carney’s predecessor Justin Trudeau and now Carney himself, has repeatedly failed these tests.

What Carney is discovering now, sitting face-to-face with President Trump, is that national pride is admirable—but cheap anti-Americanism doesn’t impress anyone south of the border. Canada missed a huge opportunity to build a stronger, fairer partnership. Instead, Carney chose to feed his base red meat, sowing division and resentment.

So as Carney returns to Ottawa, he’ll no doubt spin this visit as a victory, boasting about how he stood up to Trump and defended Canada’s sovereignty. But the reality is starkly different. Canada remains a NATO laggard and trade partner unwilling to reciprocate. Carney’s election gambit has left him boxed in, having alienated the leader of Canada’s most critical ally—us.

Canada deserves better leadership—statesmen who see beyond the next election cycle, who recognize the importance of a strong North American partnership. Until then, President Trump will rightly continue to hold Canada accountable, reminding them that friendship and alliances come with responsibilities. It’s time for Canada to step up, honor its NATO commitments, and address the trade imbalance. If they don’t, they’ll find themselves increasingly isolated—courtesy of Mark Carney’s short-term political calculations.