‘I meant what I said’: Carney tells Trump he stands by his Davos speech

Scott Bessant says the prime minister rolled over during a phone call with Donald Trump yesterday. Carney let his facial expression do the talking when first asked about the claim this morning, then told reporters he did not. Carney says he made his stance clear to Trump when the U.S. president called him yesterday.

Political analyst Keith Leslie says Bessant’s allegation was aimed at Trump’s base. Stephen Farnsworth—an expert in U.S. politics and the presidency—says Trump was hoping for a more favorable experience at the World Economic Forum.

Carney’s internationally praised speech—speaking out against great-power nations using economic coercion and advocating middle-power alliances to push back—drew the ire of Trump, who responded by saying Canada “lives” because of the U.S. Trump then threatened 100 per cent tariffs on Canadian goods if Canada makes a deal with China, just days after the U.S. president initially called the Canada-China tariff deal “a good thing.”

Stephen Farnsworth offered further context for the president’s anger, saying the Trump administration is going through a difficult period, with polling suggesting challenges ahead of the November midterm elections, and widespread controversy over the behavior of federal officials in Minnesota enforcing the Trump administration’s aggressive deportation policy.