Davos [Switzerland], January 21 : US President Donald Trump on Wednesday slammed Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney over the latter's remarks at the World Economic Forum (WEF), saying that the country should be more "grateful" toward the US.
During his address at the 56th Annual Summit of the WEF in Davos, Trump said its northern neighbour "gets a lot of freebies" from Washington, noting that it is not as grateful as it should be.
"Canada gets a lot of freebies from us, by the way. They should also be grateful, but they're not. I saw your Prime Minister yesterday; he wasn't so grateful. They should be grateful to us," Trump said, adding that his plan to build a "Golden Dome" missile defence system will also provide protection to Canada.
"Canada lives because of the United States. Remember that, Mark, the next time you make your statements," Trump said, underscoring the strategic and security role of the US in protecting its northern neighbour.
Trump's remarks were aimed at Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, who, in his WEF address, highlighted "an era of great power rivalry, where the rules-based order is fading," and also opposed tariff coercion, in a veiled reference to Washington's use of the financial tool to acquire Greenland.
On Tuesday, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney warned that the world is witnessing a fundamental "rupture" in the global order rather than a gradual transition, cautioning against weaponising trade, finance, and supply chains.
In his address at the WEF, Carney opposed tariff coercion in a veiled reference to Washington --including measures linked to Greenland--and urged renewed multilateral engagement to safeguard sovereignty, stability and prosperity.
He noted that the era of a stable, rules-based international system had given way to a harsher geopolitical reality marked by great power rivalry.
"Today, I will talk about a rupture in the world order--the end of a pleasant fiction and the beginning of a harsh reality, where major geopolitical powers operate with few limits and constraints... Countries like Canada have the capacity to help build a new order that reflects our values, including respect for human rights, sustainable development, solidarity, sovereignty, and territorial integrity," Carney said.
"Every day, it seems we are living in an era of great power rivalry, where the rules-based order is fading, the strong do what they can, and the weak suffer what they must... This aphorism of vicissitudes is presented as inevitable, as if the natural logic of international relations is simply reasserting itself," he added, stating that the world was facing a rupture, "not a transition."
Canada acknowledged that the current international system was never perfect, noting that powerful states such as the US often bent or ignored rules when convenient.
Carney's remarks were a subtle reference to Trump's recent tariff threats against European allies over his intention to purchase Greenland.