A look back at the Trump-Carney rivalry that started at the WEF

Donald Trump’s comments threatening Carney and Canada came after Mark Carney made a speech the day before, urging countries to move away from American channels of trade. In Carney’s speech, he claimed that the old world order is gone, meaning American supply lines are no longer reliable. Carney urged what he called ‘middle powers’, including Canada, Australia, and similarly sized economies, to rise up and work together to circumvent the need for American trading lines. Carney’s 17-minute speech was a standout at the forum, being the most obvious ‘anti-American’ speech given, and the only speech directly encouraging countries to spurn the U.S. as a trading partner. Carney also reaffirmed Canada’s support for the defence of Greenland, stating the importance of preventing American intervention into sovereign nations.

Carney pointed out that Donald Trump’s use of both aggressive and retaliatory tariffs was unacceptable, stating that there are currently global superpowers using ‘economic integration as weapons’. Carney criticized Trump’s use of financial infrastructure as coercion and supply chains as vulnerabilities. Donald Trump’s tariffs have severely impacted Canadian industries, including steel, lumber, auto, and agriculture. With Canada’s economy reeling from the disruption of supply lines, Carney has been working to diversify the Canadian economy away from American reliance.

Trump did not respond kindly to Carney’s words, pointing multiple vague threats at both Canada and Prime Minister Carney during his hour-long address to Davos. Trump claimed that Canada only exists because America lets it, and that the Canadian economy is completely reliant on America. He ended the comments with a threat to Carney, stating, imploring Carney to remember that Canada lives because of America, and encouraging him to think about that fact before making statements. While unsurprising, the threats did seem direct, though Trump did not specify what the consequences will be if Carney does not heed his advice and keep America’s name out of his mouth.

Clearly, Trump sees his global influence as unstoppable, and believes that vague threats will be enough to define countries’ foreign and domestic policy. Trump did clarify at Davos that he does not wish to use force to conquer Greenland, but if he chooses to, American forces would be ‘unstoppable’. Trump’s hour-long address at Davos was deranged and disjointed, but the President did make headway on his ploy for Greenland, apparently managing to create the framework of a deal with NATO countries to control Greenlandic minerals.