Carney Tells Trump: Stop the Memes, Let's Talk Trade

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney fired back at the Trump administration over its latest trade war salvo, telling Washington to 'stop doing memes' and 'start being serious about having those discussions.'

Carney's comments came after a fresh wave of attacks from Washington since trade talks collapsed on August 21. The U.S. has imposed 50% tariffs on approximately $20 billion in Canadian goods, with retaliatory tariffs set to take effect September 8.

'We're not going to accept those terms,' Carney said, referencing the proposed deal that would have left Canadian industries as subsidiaries of American companies or effectively wiped them out. He accused Washington of pursuing uncompetitive terms for key sectors like autos and imposing changes affecting French-language protections.

The U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent had previously stated that Canada could not 'go tit for tat' with an economy 13 times larger, while Trump has repeatedly discussed making Canada the 51st U.S. state.