Trump responds to Carney: "Canada lives because of the United States"
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President Trump delivers an address during the World Economic Forum annual meeting in Davos on Jan. 21. Photo: Mandel Ngan/AFP via Getty Images
President Trump said in Davos on Wednesday that Canada should be "grateful" to the U.S. for the "freebies" it receives because of the two nations' relationship.
Why it matters: Trump's dig at Canada came a day after Prime Minister Mark Carney delivered his own warning at the World Economic Forum over the "rupture" of the world order.
Driving the news: "Canada lives because of the United States," Trump said Wednesday before taking a direct jab at Carney. "Remember that, Mark, the next time you make your statements."
- Trump said Carney "wasn't so grateful" in his address.
- Carney avoided naming Trump in his speech — a strategy a Canadian official previously told Axios was deliberate. However, the official indicated that Carney's remarks were aimed squarely at the president's recent actions.
Zoom out: As Trump pushes a vision of hemispheric dominance — coupled with threats of the U.S. making its northern neighbor the "51st state" — Ottawa has reportedly started preparing for how to repel a U.S. invasion.
- Just before 1am ET Tuesday, Trump added fuel to the simmering fire between the U.S. and Canada with a Truth Social post depicting an altered map with Canada covered in the American flag.
Catch up quick: Beyond Trump's flirtations with annexing the U.S. ally, the cross-border relationship has been strained by the president's tariff threats — and Canada's subsequent strategy to diversify its trading partners.
- Carney, the former central banker turned prime minister, has since moved to ease trade relations with China.
What he said: "Let me be direct: We are in the midst of a rupture, not a transition," Carney said from the World Economic Forum pulpit.
- He declared that the bargain of the rules-based order underpinned by "American hegemony" now "no longer works."
- Carney warned, "The multilateral institutions on which middle powers have relied — the WTO, the UN, the COP ... the very architecture of collective problem-solving, are under threat."
- He concluded his address with an invitation to "stop pretending, to name reality, to build our strength at home and to act together." He was met with a standing ovation.
Editor's note: This story has been updated with additional details throughout.
Go deeper:
- As Trump alienates allies, China capitalizes
- The great Davos divorce: America's allies draw red line with Trump
