Trump says to Canada’s PM: ‘Your country lives because of the United States

Noman Sabit: President Trump on Wednesday sent a message to Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, telling him that his country “lives because of the United States,” days after the prime minister defended Greenland against Trump’s effort to acquire the island territory.

“We’re building a Golden Dome that’s going to, just by its very nature, going to be defending Canada,” he said during his speech at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. “Canada gets a lot of freebies from us, by the way. They should be grateful also, but they’re not. I watched your prime minister yesterday, he wasn’t so grateful.”

“But they should be grateful to us, Canada,” the president continued. “Canada lives because of the United States. Remember that, Mark, before you make your statements.”

Carney on Tuesday said Canada “strongly opposes” the Trump administration’s announcement of new tariffs on Denmark and several other European allies starting Feb. 1.

Trump, in announcing the import taxes, said they would remain “until such time as a Deal is reached for the Complete and Total purchase of Greenland.”

The Canadian leader, in remarks from Davos, doubled down on his support for the Arctic island’s sovereignty and the importance of supporting the NATO alliance.

“We stand firmly with Greenland in Denmark and fully support their unique right to determine Greenland’s future,” he said. “Our commitment to NATO’s Article 5 is unwavering, so we’re working with our NATO allies, including the Nordic-Baltic Eight to further secure the alliance’s northern and western flanks, including through Canada’s unprecedented investments in over-the-horizon radar, in submarines and aircraft and boots on the ground — boots on the ice.”

The president on Wednesday Trump pulled back from his threat to use military force to acquire Greenland. He praised the mineral-rich island and requested immediate negotiations over its future.

Trump also accused Denmark of being “ungrateful” and said the country would be “speaking German and a little Japanese, perhaps,” without the help of the U.S.

The remarks drew criticism from two Democratic governors — who have both been floated as possible 2028 presidential contenders. The president name-dropped California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D), calling him a “good guy” and that he “used to get along so great with Gavin when I was president.”

Newsom called the speech “remarkably boring” and said Trump, “was never going to invade Greenland; it was never real.”

“A lot of stuff stands out,” the California governor added. “None of this is normalized. There’s a normalization, a deviancy of consciousness and comments and commentary. He’s ahead of the curve, he’s graded on the curve. That’s really some jaw-dropping and remarkable statements that just fly in the face of facts and evidence and common sense.”

Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear (D) also attended the forum and called the president’s speech “dangerous, disrespectful and unhinged.”

“From insulting our allies to telling struggling Americans that he’s fixed inflation and the economy is amazing, the President is hurting both our families’ financial security and our national security,” Beshear wrote in a statement he shared on social platform X. “Oh, and Greenland is so important he’s calling it Iceland.”

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BP/SM