Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney has sparked backlash after publicly praising U.S. President Donald Trump during their recent bilateral meeting at the White House on Tuesday.
The meeting, which focused on trade tariffs and ongoing U.S.-Canada relations, drew global attention after Carney appeared to shower Trump with compliments. Canada is currently the only G7 nation without a finalized trade agreement with the United States this year, leaving its steel sector struggling under ongoing U.S. tariffs.
During the Oval Office discussion, Carney told Trump, “You are a transformative president,” a remark that quickly spread across social media. The comment came after Carney’s earlier decision this summer to remove Canada’s retaliatory tariffs against the U.S. in what he described as a gesture of goodwill toward Washington.
A video of the exchange, shared on X (formerly Twitter) by journalist Aaron Rupar, went viral, with many users accusing Carney of flattering Trump excessively. Rupar humorously captioned the clip: “I regret to inform you that Mark Carney is kissing Trump’s…” leaving many viewers debating whether the compliment was sincere or sarcastic.
Carney went on to praise Trump’s leadership style, crediting him for reshaping the global economy, securing “unprecedented” commitments from NATO allies, and mediating ceasefire agreements between India and Pakistan, as well as Azerbaijan and Armenia.
However, many Canadians and social media users reacted negatively.
One user wrote, “As a Canadian, this is nauseating. But I guess you have to butter up the turkey before you serve it.”
Another added, “This is gross, but sadly, it has to be done.”
Some users, however, speculated that Carney’s tone might have been intentionally ambiguous, pointing out that “transformative” doesn’t necessarily mean positive.
As one X user put it: “Transformative doesn’t only mean good things it might’ve been a subtle jab.”
Another joked, “Well technically he’s right some transformations are bad.”
Despite the online debate, Carney has not yet responded to the criticism. The exchange has reignited discussions about Canada’s delicate balancing act between diplomacy and national interest when dealing with the Trump administration.
Maybe this is embarrassing to Canadians.
ReplyDeleteI would be more embarrassed if I were an American. I mean, you can soften up a nine year old with this kind of slime, but what about your president ?