- Trump and new Canadian PM Mark Carney had their first call after rising tensions over U.S. tariffs.
- Carney rejected any suggestion of U.S. dominance, emphasizing Canada’s sovereignty.
- Canada plans retaliatory tariffs starting after Trump’s announced April 2 “Liberation Day.”
Well, that escalated fast.
President Donald Trump and newly minted Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney had their first phone call on Friday—just a day after Carney declared that Canada’s traditional relationship with the U.S. is basically over. Not the friendliest setup for a chat, but hey, here we are.
According to Trump, it was a “very productive call,” and apparently, they “agree on many things.” He posted the update on Truth Social (of course), where he also dropped the usual sarcasm and actually called Carney Prime Minister—a bit of a tone shift after years of mocking Trudeau with titles like “governor.”
No mention this time of making Canada the 51st state either, which is… something.
Carney Isn’t Backing Down Though
On Thursday, Carney made it crystal clear: Canada isn’t rolling over. In a speech from Parliament Hill, he said:
“I reject any attempts to weaken Canada, to wear us down, to break us so that America can own us. That will never happen.”
So yeah—polite, but firm. He also said that the call would focus on mutual respect and Canada’s sovereignty, and it seems that message was delivered.
Canada Preps to Hit Back Over Tariffs
This all comes after Trump announced 25% tariffs on auto imports from Canada (and others), starting next week. And he’s dubbed April 2 “Liberation Day”—because of course he did.
In response, Carney’s already said Canada plans to retaliate with its own trade measures. According to the Canadian government’s readout of the call, Dominic LeBlanc, Minister of International Trade, will ramp up conversations with U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick as things heat up.
And after April 2? More counter-tariffs are coming, Carney told Trump directly.
Not Exactly a Reset—But Maybe a Pause
So while the call was labeled “constructive” by both sides, it’s clear this isn’t some magical reset. Tensions are still there. But it looks like Carney’s going for strong-but-civil, while Trump—well, he’s being Trump.
