Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney apparently decided that an escalating trade dispute with the United States needed one more thing: public insults aimed at Americans. 

Speaking with reporters Tuesday, Carney said trade talks could resume only when Americans “stop doing memes," as part of their strategy. He went on to complain that the U.S. approach was “not constructive,” before dismissively adding, “but that’s their democracy.”

"When the Americans stop doing memes, stop throwing shade, stop trying to be tough and start being serious about having those discussions, we can have those discussions," the Canadian Prime Minister said. "But it's not constructive, but that's their democracy."

It is a bold strategy to insult the country holding most of the cards. President Trump has repeatedly argued that Canada needs access to the U.S. market far more than the United States needs access to Canada’s. Even though the new array of tariffs are bound to raise costs for American consumers, the war will still hit Canada far harder.

This comes just days after Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent dismissed the so-called trade war, noting that Canada cannot realistically go tit-for-tat with an economy 13 times its size. As for the threat of retaliation, Bessent mocked the idea asking if Canada intended to deploy its two submarines in response to the trade war.

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"Well, I don't think you can be in a tit-for-tat with someone who's 13 times larger than you are," Bessent said last week. "They say they're doing okay. What else are they going to say? Look, I think this is very unfortunate that Prime Minister Carney has turned this into a political shouting match."

"I mean, we're not at war with Canada. How are we going to be at war with Canada? What, are they going to take their two submarines from the Edmonton Mall and sick them on us?" Bessent asked. "He came to power on an anti-American, anti-Trump agenda. He was 20 points behind in the polls. And then he started this. And it's unfortunate that he's not doing what's best for the Canadian people. He's doing what is best for the Liberal Party, what's best for Mark Carney. And in the long run, the Canadian people are going to see through that."