Canada Is “Nasty”, Trump Says

President Donald Trump called Canada and its leadership “nasty” during a speech in Las Vegas on Wednesday, escalating his public attacks on Ottawa as the two governments remain divided over trade and Canadian officials negotiate in Washington.

“Canada’s nasty. They are. They’re nasty,” Trump said while discussing the tariffs imposed during his second term. “I love the people, but they’re nasty,” he added, according to the Associated Press.

Reuters reported that Trump also referred to the country’s “nasty leadership.”

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Prime Minister Mark Carney responded Thursday by defending Canada’s negotiating position rather than returning Trump’s insult.

“For Canada it’s a question of Canadian jobs, it’s a question of the future of Canadian enterprises,” Carney told reporters in Saguenay, Quebec, cited by Reuters. He acknowledged that the negotiations were difficult and said Canadian representatives were engaged in detailed discussions with US officials over the CUSMA review.

The exchange placed the worsening political relationship at the center of negotiations that already carry direct consequences for Canadian exporters. Reuters reported that the two governments remain far apart and that Trump is threatening additional tariffs as soon as next week unless Ottawa agrees to undisclosed concessions.

Carney has said Canada is seeking a comprehensive settlement rather than a narrower agreement covering only selected tariffs or industries.

Trump’s description of Canada followed a series of attacks on the country since his return to the White House. He has repeatedly proposed that Canada become the 51st US state, imposed tariffs on Canadian goods, and accused Ottawa of unfairly restricting US access to its automobile, alcohol, and dairy markets.

Canada has rejected Trump’s statehood remarks and maintained that its trade measures respond to US tariffs that Ottawa considers inconsistent with CUSMA. Carney has also made reducing Canada’s economic reliance on the US a central part of his government’s strategy.

The rhetoric has become increasingly personal. One day before Trump’s Las Vegas speech, Carney mocked the US president after a teleprompter malfunctioned during an event in Toronto.

“Unlike a certain world leader, I do not view this as a conspiracy,” Carney said, referring to Trump’s demand for an investigation after technical problems interrupted his appearance at the UN the previous year.