Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney has apologized to US President Donald Trump over an anti-tariff advertisement aired by Ontario Premier Doug Ford. The ad, which features a clip of former Republican President Ronald Reagan speaking out against tariffs, sparked a significant escalation in tensions between the two countries.
Ford had commissioned the ad as part of his campaign against tariffs imposed by the Canadian government, with the clip from Reagan's 1980 State of the Union address aimed at emphasizing the economic costs of trade wars. However, Carney had privately expressed opposition to the ad and had even warned Ford not to run it.
Carney revealed that he had made amends with Trump during a dinner meeting hosted by South Korean President Moon Jae-in on Wednesday. "I did apologize to the president," Carney stated when asked about the incident.
The ad's airing led to a swift response from Trump, who announced plans to increase tariffs on goods from Canada and halted trade talks with Ottawa. The US leader also took issue with the Canadian prime minister's efforts to reduce reliance on the United States, describing them as "very nice" during their meeting earlier in the week.
Carney attributed his improved relations with Xi Jinping, China's president, to this conversation, which he described as a turning point in Canada-China ties. The two leaders discussed foreign interference, among other issues, marking a significant shift after years of strained relations between Ottawa and Beijing.
In South Korea, Carney emphasized the need for Canada to diversify its trade relationships and move away from relying too heavily on the US. "It can't happen overnight," he said, but expressed optimism about the progress being made in this area.
Ford had commissioned the ad as part of his campaign against tariffs imposed by the Canadian government, with the clip from Reagan's 1980 State of the Union address aimed at emphasizing the economic costs of trade wars. However, Carney had privately expressed opposition to the ad and had even warned Ford not to run it.
Carney revealed that he had made amends with Trump during a dinner meeting hosted by South Korean President Moon Jae-in on Wednesday. "I did apologize to the president," Carney stated when asked about the incident.
The ad's airing led to a swift response from Trump, who announced plans to increase tariffs on goods from Canada and halted trade talks with Ottawa. The US leader also took issue with the Canadian prime minister's efforts to reduce reliance on the United States, describing them as "very nice" during their meeting earlier in the week.
Carney attributed his improved relations with Xi Jinping, China's president, to this conversation, which he described as a turning point in Canada-China ties. The two leaders discussed foreign interference, among other issues, marking a significant shift after years of strained relations between Ottawa and Beijing.
In South Korea, Carney emphasized the need for Canada to diversify its trade relationships and move away from relying too heavily on the US. "It can't happen overnight," he said, but expressed optimism about the progress being made in this area.
So Trump's all upset cuz some old clip of Reagan was used against him... like, what's new? 
Anyways, Carney did apologize to Trump which is cool I guess. But what really got me is how quickly things escalated between the two countries over a commercial ad. It's like, chill out guys! 
And then they just suddenly shift gears and start talking to Xi Jinping... what's up with that? 
China's president is like, super important these days so I guess Carney thinks he can use this convo to smooth things over? 
they cant just sit back n let the usa dictate their trade deals newsflash dont be a pushover! 
! I mean, it's like they're trying to out-do each other in a game of 'who can be more dramatic'. Canada apologizes for the ad and suddenly everyone's best buds again 
... except for Trump, who's still salty about it. And let's not forget Carney's secret meeting with Xi - that's some master diplomatic work right there 
! 
. Still, I'm rooting for Canada to make some moves and start forging new connections 
!
. And now Canada has to deal with the fallout? Not good for our friends up north 
.
. I hope they can get back on track soon. And yay for improved relations with China! 
and i was like what if we had a global food fest where everyone brings their fave dish from their country? that would be so cool! 
can u imagine trying all sorts of new flavors and cuisines in one place? my friend's cousin went to this awesome Korean BBQ spot downtown and it was life changing lol anyway, back to canada... i'm kinda surprised carney apologized to trump about the ad thingy 
. I mean, you have to wonder if there were some behind-the-scenes deals made or something. It's a pretty big deal for Canada to be able to pivot on its trade policies and get back in the good books with the US. But let's be real, this is just another example of how geopolitics can play out like a game of whack-a-mole 
. One moment you're at odds with one country, the next you're courting favor with another. It's like, what's going on here? Are we living in some kind of trade war timeshare? 
I mean, we're all adults here, right? Can't they just have a calm conversation about tariffs instead of sending threatening ads and tweets? 
And Carney's optimism about progress is nice to hear. Maybe this is the start of some actual real change? 
But for real though, why do world leaders have to be so drama-prone all the time? 
Anyway, it's kinda cool that Carney was able to make amends with Xi Jinping, but let's not forget, he was also talking trash to Trump during dinner... some people just can't handle the truth 
. canada-china relations have been pretty frosty for ages, so this might actually be a step in the right direction... or maybe not? 
. And on a separate note, good on Carney for making progress with Xi Jinping - Canada needs all the friends they can get! 
not cool, imo. but hey, carney's trying to play both sides here by building bridges with china 
and diversifying canada's trade relationships 
So what's good fam? I gotta say, the drama between Trump and Carney is wild 
But for real tho, it's no surprise that tensions flared up - trade wars are a whole different level of crazy 
.
. Those two actually having a good convo about foreign interference and all that jazz is pretty impressive 
. And now Canada's branching out to other trade relationships, which is a major win 
. It'll take some time, but I think this diversification thing will pay off in the long run.
. But let's give Carney credit too - he knew when to hold back and now things are looking up 
. Only time will tell how this all plays out, but one thing's for sure: global politics is never boring 
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. I mean, they've been friends for ages. Maybe they should just sit down & have a calm chat about tariffs instead of resorting to all this back & forth 
. The ad was probably meant to be a clever way to get people on board with the anti-tariff movement but it ended up causing more problems than it solved