Carney shouldn't pick a fight with Trump, U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent says as trade negotiations loom

U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has once again directed pointed remarks toward Canadian prime minister Mark Carney.

“I would just encourage Prime Minister Carney to do what he thinks is best for the Canadian people, not his own virtue signalling, because we do have a (CUSMA) negotiation coming up,” Bessent said. “I would not pick a fight going into (those negotiations) to score some cheap political points.”

Bessent was speaking at an event in Washington, D.C. on Wednesday, where he was interviewed by CNBC ‘s Sara Eisen, who asked about the rift between Trump and Carney over the prime minister’s speech at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.

Bessent remarked that Carney “rose to power on an anti-American, anti-Trump message, and that’s not a great place to be when you’re negotiating with an economy that is multiples larger than you are and your biggest trading partner.”

After imposing tariffs on a range of Canadian exports to the U.S. in 2025, the White House has been threatening changes to CUSMA, when the trade treaty comes up for review this year.

Bessent also took a swipe at Carney’s transition to politics after serving as governor the Bank of England and Bank of Canada. “In my investment career, I’ve seen what happens when a technocrat tries to pivot and become a politician. It never really works out well,” he said.

Bessent’s latest comments come after his claims that Carney walked back what he said in Davos during a phone call with Trump.

On Tuesday, Carney denied recanting . “To be absolutely clear, and I said this to the president, I meant what I said in Davos,” Carney told reporters on Parliament Hill.

• Carney says he stands by Davos speech amid U.S. claims he walked back his comments in call with Trump
• Liberals reach 47% voter support after Carney's Davos, China trip: Leger poll

Our website is the place for the latest breaking news, exclusive scoops, longreads and provocative commentary. Please bookmark nationalpost.com and sign up for our daily newsletter, Posted, here.